On Thursday, August 31, this year, the High Court in Accra will rule on whether or not the Special Prosecutor should keep the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah’s bank accounts frozen.
After Dr. Isidore Tuffour, who represented the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), moved the application in court today, the court, presided over by Justice Edward Twum, set the date.
Counsel contended that the special prosecutor’s office intended to use the confirmation application to seize $590,000 and GH 2,730,000 discovered in her residence after a search of three houses connected to her.
Court set ruling date for Cecilia Dapaah’s frozen account
According to Dr. Tuffour, Cecilia Dapaah was unable to explain how she acquired the money, and the ownership of the allegedly stolen assets is up for debate.
He maintained that they were under no obligation to provide evidence that the accounts were corrupted.
Opposition
On the other hand, Victoria Barth, the attorney for Cecilia Dapaah, asserted that the application for confirmation broke the rules set forth in the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
She argued that the office was required under Act 959’s Section 32(2) to submit the application for confirmation within seven days of the seizure.
She claimed that the application was submitted more than seven days beyond the deadline.
Ms. Barth went on to say that the discovery of sizable quantities in the house of her clients does not support the seizure of their belongings.
Counsel contended that the mere fact that their client was under investigation for wrongdoing was insufficient justification for freezing her money.
She claims that in order to qualify under the Special Prosecutor Act, the applicant must provide more than a statement of fact; they must also show a reasonable basis for believing that the property is tainted.
She believed that the OSP had failed to provide any evidence to support its claim that the money was corrupted.
Husband
The presiding judge questioned why Cecilia Dapaah was the only person under investigation after the allegedly tainted money was discovered in her marital home before setting the date.
Dr. Tuffour responded by informing the court that Cecilia Dapaah’s husband had also been arrested.