CDD-Ghana criticized govt’s handling of money laundering case involving ex-minister Cecilia Dapaah.

The Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has criticized how the government handled the money laundering issue involving former sanitation minister Cecilia Dapaah.

Concerns about the government’s response to problems involving its affiliates were voiced by CDD-Ghana.

In a letter to the Economic and Organised Crime (EOCO), the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General advised against looking into Madam Cecilia Dapaah’s financial dealings further in order to avoid potentially laundering money.

The abrupt and inconclusive way this matter has been ended fits a pattern in terms of the Nana Akufo Addo Administration’s general attitude and response to scandals and allegations or reported incidents of criminal conduct, corruption, or other financial malfeasance involving persons closely associated with the Government or ruling party, according to a statement released by CDD-Ghana on Friday, May 3, 2024.

According to CDD-Ghana, the guidance means the case is over. The Attorney General has promised that the legal matter will proceed.

The Attorney General’s Advice essentially means that the Cecilia Dapaah case is closed. Closed case. This is not the first time a well-known case involving suspected or confirmed criminal activity involving a powerful political figure has been abruptly ended without a proper, credible investigation, conclusion, or settlement. It’s unclear how the Attorney General’s forced termination of the investigation’s continuation serves the public interest or enhances the target of the investigation’s reputation.

EOCO’s failure to carry out its investigations was also questioned by CDD-Ghana.

The way the EOCO asked the Attorney General for instructions without following through on the OSP’s recommendation to start its own inquiry into the situation looks strangely fabricated. At that early pre-investigative stage, one would have expected EOCO to move forward with its own investigations after receiving a docket that contained a variety of exhibits, statements from about twenty people, and the simple fact of the amount of money discovered in the properties connected to Mrs. Dapaah and her spouse. Instead, EOCO shouldn’t have asked the Attorney General for opinion on investigations.