Vitus Azeem praises OSP for its efforts in its investigation of the scandal Cecilia Dapaah
Vitus Azeem, a prominent figure in the fight against corruption, has praised the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for its ongoing investigation into the scandal involving former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
This comes as significant revelations have emerged from the OSP, indicating that a substantial amount of US$590,000 and GH¢2.730,000 in cash were discovered during a search at the former Minister’s Abelemkpe residence. Acting swiftly, OSP officials seized this substantial cash as vital evidence to support their ongoing inquiry.
As a result, the OSP has proceeded to freeze both the cedi and dollar accounts belonging to the former minister, pending further investigations. During an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Mr. Azeem urged the OSP to maintain its proactive approach to help combat corruption within the nation.
“I think that Office of the Special Prosecutor is doing a good job. This is what we were looking up to him for since 2018. We expect the OSP to be proactive and go after people no matter who they are when there are clear corruption allegations against them.”
Expanding on the desired proactiveness, he emphasized that the OSP should promptly investigate corruption-related claims whenever they arise, in order to effectively address instances of corruption.
“Proactive in the sense that when there are credible allegations of corruption or movement of funds, then he should be able to go and verify the things,” he said.
Mr. Azeem acknowledged that, within a democratic framework, the OSP cannot haphazardly search people’s residences. Instead, it should collaborate with other agencies or institutions to ensure thorough investigations of corruption cases.
“We are in a democracy and unless someone alleges or accuses you, or petitions the OSP, it will be difficult for him to just come to your house and say I want to check whether you have money in your house or not. So there has to be some kind of evidence or accusation that says that you are probably hoarding money in your house.”
In the meantime, the Financial Division of the High Court in Accra is scheduled to hear an application by the Special Prosecutor seeking confirmation of its decision to freeze seven bank accounts belonging to former Minister Cecilia Dapaah. These accounts hold both local and foreign currencies.
The OSP has also issued a denial regarding the disclosure of information about Cecilia Dapaah’s frozen bank accounts. In a public notice, the Office of the Special Prosecutor disavowed any reports suggesting it had disclosed specific account details.
“The OSP urges the public to disregard media accounts on purported bank balances reported to have been disclosed by the OSP”, read a statement posted on the OSP’s social media platforms on August 10, 2023.
The OSP’s rebuttal follows various media claims asserting that the office had made public Dapaah’s alleged bank balances of $5 million and GHȼ48 million in accounts held with two Ghanaian banks.
Source – citinewsroom.com
