Former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah, who is facing legal challenges related to the freeze of her accounts and cash seizure, has submitted an injunction application against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

This application is intended to prevent the OSP from prosecuting her until the case is resolved.

According to the court documents filed on Tuesday, October 10, Dapaah's legal team argues that allowing the OSP to proceed with the prosecution could cause her irreparable harm.

They are urging the court to carefully consider the balance between her rights and the state's efforts to combat corruption.

“This Court is enjoined to balance the economic right of the affected persons against the State's power to fight corruption.”

“It is the Applicants' considered view that they would suffer irreparable harm if the Respondent is not restrained pending the final determination of the substantive matter.”

Additionally, the former minister has denied allegations made by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) that she is involved in an undisclosed real estate business. She asserts that the OSP has not presented any evidence to support this claim.

The court document filed by the Office of the Special Prosecutor said Cecilia Abena Dapaah "was engaged in undisclosed and undeclared real estate business in which she obscured and concealed the transactions by employing the use of aliases to avoid detection of the actual ownership of the business and properties, while cleverly receiving proceeds of the transactions in her bank account and investments."

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is making efforts to ascertain the seizure of properties suspected to be linked to Madam Dapaah. However, it has alleged that Madam Dapaah did not declare her income and property as required by the OSP Act.

According to the statement of offense filed at the High Court on Friday, October 6, Cecilia Dapaah failed to comply with a notice to declare her property, which was served on Monday, July 24. This failure to declare within the stipulated 30-day period, as outlined in the OSP Act, is considered a contravention of the law, and the OSP is seeking legal action as a result.

“Cecilia Abena Dapaah, 68 years, 25 August 2023, in Accra in the Greater Accra Region of the Republic of Ghana and within the jurisdiction of this Court, being a suspect under investigation for corruption and corruption-related offences including using public office for profit in respect of suspected tainted large cash sums reportedly stolen from your residential premises and also retrieved from same by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, without lawful excuse, failed, within 30 days, to comply with a notice to declare your property and income served on you by the Special Prosecutor on 24 July 2023 under regulation 20(1) per Forms 1A and 1B of the First Schedule of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (L.I. 2374) as specified in regulation 20(2) and Form 21 of the First Schedule of the Ofice of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (L.I. 2374).”