Former Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo has expressed disappointment with Attorney General Godfred Dame regarding his handling of allegations against former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah.

0

Domelevo believes that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), the institutions leading the investigations, should have provided the public with details about the probe to maintain credibility.

1

He asserted that the AG, given his constitutional mandate, should have facilitated cooperation between these institutions and offered necessary support rather than making statements that could undermine the probe's integrity.

2

In an interview with JoyNews, monitored by GhanaWeb, Domelevo remarked that halting the case against the former sanitation minister could erode public confidence in state institutions.

3

“My biggest disappointment comes from the Attorney General. By virtue of the constitutional mandate he has, more or less all these institutions fall under him. Instead of him writing a letter to say you didn't get information from this person, so discontinue, I thought he should have called the OSP and called Madam Tiwa and said, 'Look, guys, you are working in the public interest. What information do you need from OSP? What stops you from providing this information'

4

"I don't think the investigation done by OSP was paid for with money from their pockets. It was public funds, and they were doing the investigations in the public interest. So, whatever information is available to them that can aid EOCO in doing their work, I think they should have made that available. I don't think the non-availability or the non-release of that information to EOCO should be grounds to say that because of that, we are discontinuing the case," he said.

5

Background:

6

Cecilia Dapaah faces investigation by the OSP for corruption and corruption-related offenses following allegations that two of her house helps stole over $1 million, as well as €300,000 in cash and other valuables from her Abelemkpe residence.

7

The OSP froze Dapaah's accounts for a second time on September 5, 2023, after an Accra High Court initially directed the office to unfreeze her accounts and investments and return seized funds. This came after an earlier freeze order.

8

GhanaWeb reported on August 9, 2023, that the OSP had frozen the assets and bank accounts of the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, containing millions of dollars and cedis.

9

On October 16, 2023, the OSP lifted the freeze on five of Dapaah's bank accounts but maintained the freezing order on her other bank accounts and financial assets.

10