By Mary Awelana Addah, the Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), emphasized that the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) should have conducted more thorough investigations into the case involving former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah.
This comes after the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice advised EOCO against initiating money laundering investigations into Cecilia Dapaah’s case.
In response to EOCO’s request for advice on the matter, the Attorney General’s office, in a letter dated April 25, 2024, and copied to EOCO, highlighted that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had not submitted its report on the collaborative investigation to EOCO. Additionally, the OSP had not responded to EOCO’s request for its findings.
During an appearance on the JoyNews AM show on May 2, Mrs. Addah remarked that while EOCO may seek legal advice from the Attorney General’s Office, it should have continued its investigation independently until it deemed it necessary to seek advice for potential prosecution.
She emphasized that EOCO should have pursued the investigation to its logical conclusion before consulting the Attorney General’s Office. Mrs. Addah stressed the importance of conducting thorough and independent investigations into allegations of wrongdoing by public officials.
“But then it is what it is; it is very unfortunate; let me not mince words at all. The impression this is creating is that we can always get away with anything, particularly when it comes to issues around allegations of corruption because we would use the weakness in the regime or legal regime to get away with them,” she said.
“And this goes to confirm what the President said because he was speaking from the point of authority; perhaps our laws were not robust.”
Mrs. Addah suggested that EOCO could have conducted a thorough investigation into Cecilia Dapaah’s case by scrutinizing her lifestyle, which could have provided valuable information and evidence.
She emphasized that lifestyle audits are a crucial tool in investigating allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds. Mrs. Addah suggested that EOCO should have employed this method to ensure a more comprehensive and transparent investigation.
“It is sad, but it is what it is from our current legislation and our current work. Unfortunately, we believe EOCO could have taken this up from another angle when you look at their laws.
“When you look at Section 1(3) of the current anti-money laundering law, you would see that they could have done a lifestyle,” she stated.
