Mary Awelana Addah, Executive Director of Ghana Integrity Initiatives (GII), has expressed that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) could have conducted a more comprehensive investigation into the case of former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah.
This comes after the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice advised EOCO against pursuing money laundering investigations into the matter.
In a letter dated April 25, 2024, the Attorney General’s office stated that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) failed to submit its collaborative investigation report with the FBI to EOCO, and also neglected to respond to EOCO’s request for its findings on Madam Dapaah’s case.
The GII director is suggesting that EOCO could have done more to investigate the matter.
The Attorney General’s office states the docket presented to EOCO only contains the OSP’s letter transmitting the docket, the diary of action, statements taken during the investigation, and letters written by the OSP to other institutions like the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and banks for inquiries.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on May 2, she stated that while EOCO may rely on the AG’s office for legal advice, it could have continued its investigation independently until it was necessary to seek advice for prosecution.
She noted that EOCO should have pursued the investigation to its logical conclusion before consulting the Attorney General’s Office, emphasising the importance of a thorough and independent investigation into allegations of wrongdoing by public officials.
“But then it is what it is; it is very unfortunate; let me not mince words at all. The impression this is creating is that we can always get away with anything, particularly when it comes to issues around allegations of corruption because we would use the weakness in the regime or legal regime to get away with them,” she said.
“And this goes to confirm what the President said because he was speaking from the point of authority; perhaps our laws were not robust.”
Mrs Addah suggested that EOCO could have conducted a thorough investigation into Cecilia Dapaah’s case by scrutinising her lifestyle, which could have provided valuable information and evidence.
She emphasized that lifestyle audits are a crucial tool in investigating allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds, and EOCO should have employed this method to ensure a more comprehensive and transparent investigation.
It is sad, but it is what it is from our current legislation and our current work. Unfortunately, we believe EOCO could have taken this up from another angle when you look at their laws.
“When you look at Section 1(3) of the current anti-money laundering law, you would see that they could have done a lifestyle,” she stated.
