Five people have petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate former Health Minister Cecilia Dapaah for allegedly acquiring assets disproportionate to her income.
The petitioners – Mensah Thompson, Al Hassan Kwadwo Baidoo, Bernard Ambataela Moruna, Lunsford Antwi and Joyce Atitso – are calling for a thorough investigation into Dapaah’s finances.
The controversy surrounding Dapaah began with a theft at her home, which led to her resignation in July 2023. The stolen items included large sums of cash – $1 million, 300,000 euros and 350,000 cedis – as well as luxury handbags worth $35,000 and jewellery worth $95,000.
The publication of these figures sparked public outrage amid Ghana’s ongoing economic difficulties and the continued depreciation of the cedi.
Following his resignation, Dapaah was arrested by the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The investigation, which also involved the FBI, lasted nearly seven months, but the OSP transferred the case to the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), which has the authority to investigate money laundering, arguing that it did not have the authority to investigate or prosecute because the matter bordered on money laundering.
However, EOCO maintained that there was insufficient basis to proceed with the matter and returned the case file to OSP.
On May 20, the petitioner asked CHRAJ to inspect Dapaahβs assets amounting to $1.39 million, β¬300,000, 3,212,007 cedis and dollar-denominated bank accounts.
ββ¦More importantly, we are further made aware of the need for this investigation as Mrs. Cecilia Dapaah was unable to give a proper explanation during questioning by the OSP on her source of income,β excerpts from the petition read.
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