The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has disclosed that its extensive investigation into former Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, uncovered no direct or immediate evidence of corruption in relation to the large sums of money and valuables seized from her residence and bank accounts.
This was contained in the OSP’s July 2025 Half-Yearly Report, following a nearly seven-month inquiry conducted in parallel with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
However, the OSP indicated that the probe identified “strong indications of suspected money laundering and structuring,” offences that fall outside its direct anti-corruption mandate.
“After nearly seven months of extensive investigation by the Office and a parallel inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, no direct and immediate evidence of corruption was found in respect of seized funds and frozen bank accounts linked to Ms. Dapaah and her associates, though the investigation identified strong indications of suspected money laundering and structuring, beyond the direct mandate of the Office,” the report stated.
As a result, the OSP referred the matter to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in January 2024 to pursue possible money laundering offences.
EOCO, however, returned the docket in May 2024, arguing that money laundering is considered a “collateral offence” that must be tied to a primary predicate crime—something it said was absent in the OSP’s findings.
The case took a new turn in May 2025 when EOCO, under new leadership, formally requested the docket back for a fresh review. The OSP complied on May 29, 2025, forwarding a duplicate file, and pledged “full collaborative support” to EOCO in its renewed investigation.
The Cecilia Dapaah case, which first made headlines after large sums of cash were discovered in her home and her bank accounts were frozen, remains one of the most high-profile corruption-related probes in recent years.
While suspicions of direct corruption have not been substantiated, the latest update suggests that scrutiny now centers on possible money laundering and related financial crimes. EOCO is therefore expected to commence its own investigation into aspects outside the OSP’s mandate.
Source: Adomonline
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