An injunction application against a petition to the Speaker of Parliament to probe the case of the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has been filed at the Accra High Court.
The applicant, Derick Adu-Gyamfi, is seeking amongst others a true and proper interpretation of the law to establish whether or not Parliament has the power to cause a probe into the Cecilia Dapaah case.
Some Ghanaians, including private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, security expert, Dr Adam Bonaa, former Auditor-General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo, and Professor Ransford Gyampo of the University of Ghana, have petitioned Parliament to look into the case of large sums of money found in the home of Ms Dapaah.
They argue in the petition that Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) had more than enough basis to investigate Ms Dapaah for money laundering as she has been inconsistent and unable to provide the source of the huge amount of money seized at her residence by the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The petition, which was submitted to Parliament on Thursday May 16, 2024, asked Parliament to set up a bi-partisan committee to investigate how the EOCO failed to do its work relative to this matter.
According to Mr Kpebu, there is more to be investigated in relation to this matter involving Ms Dapaah.
“We want parliament to set up a bi-partisan committee to investigate how EOCO reneged on its duty to investigate Cecilia Dapaah. When we see money of this quantum in the home, it points to money laundering, so go into the sources of the income,” he said.
“The failure to explain the source of the money should have been the corner stone of the investigation,” the petition noted.
It also raised concerns about what the group described as the deliberate refusal by EOCO to take steps to protect the money which had been seized from residence of the former minister by the OSP.
The petition said: “Upon receipt of the docket, EOCO did not act timeously to seize the money that the OSP was returning to Madam Cecelia Dapaah as public stated by the OSP”.
The petitioners said EOCO has been inconsistent with their public commentary and actions in the investigation.
The development comes in the wake of the standoff between state anti-corruption agencies investigating Ms Dapaah over the stash of money. —3News.com