EOCO REOPENS INVESTIGATION INTO FORMER SANITATION MINISTER CECILIA DAPAAH

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has officially reopened the case involving former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, following a renewed request by its new leadership. This development was confirmed during a news briefing in Accra by Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng.

According to Mr. Agyebeng, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) initiated an investigation in July 2023 focusing on allegations of corruption and related offenses involving large sums of money and valuables linked to Madam Dapaah and her associates. Following a seven-month investigation, which included cooperation with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), no direct evidence of corruption was found. However, strong indications of suspected money laundering and structuring surfaced matters outside the OSP’s immediate mandate.

Consequently, in January 2024, the case was referred to EOCO for investigation of these money laundering concerns. The case, however, stalled when EOCO returned the file, citing that money laundering, considered a collateral offense, required a predicate offense to initiate investigation, which they argued was absent.

This impasse was broken with the arrival of EOCO’s new leadership, who on May 14, 2025, formally requested the case docket from the OSP to review and resume investigations. The OSP responded by forwarding a duplicate case file on May 29, 2025.

Special Prosecutor Agyebeng emphasized that the OSP views the docket as a critical resource for EOCO to begin its inquiry into aspects of the case beyond the OSP’s jurisdiction. The OSP has pledged full cooperation to EOCO as it undertakes this renewed probe.

Source:NKONKONSA.com