The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), under its new leadership, has asked for the docket of Ms. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, a former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, according to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
According to Special Prosecutor Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, EOCO has asked the OSP to return the docket to it for examination and to start the investigation.
During a press briefing to inform the media about four cases under investigation by the OSP, Mr. Agyebeng made this statement.
He stated that in July 2023, the OSP opened an investigation into possible corruption and corruption-related offenses involving Ms. Dapaah and her companions and substantial sums of money and other valuables.
“After almost seven months of thorough investigation by the OSP and a parallel investigation by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, no immediate and direct evidence of corruption was found with regard to funds and closing bank accounts associated with Ms. Dapaah and her associates,” he added.
“The investigation found strong indications of suspected money laundering and extraction beyond the direct mandate of the OSP,” the Special Prosecutor said.
He stated that in January 2024, the OSP forwarded the matter to the EOCO and OSP in order to initiate an inquiry into potential money laundering and extraction indications that were directly under the EOCO’s purview.
According to Mr. Agyebeng, the EOCO returned the entire docket to the OSP in May 2024, citing the argument that the EOCO lacked the authority to begin investigating the matter because it would not base its investigation on any predicate offense, as money laundering is a collateral offense that must be founded on a predicate offense rather than a substantive offense.
“Under the cover of communication dated May 29, 2025, the OSP forwarded the duplicate docket of the case back to EOCO,” he added.
He stated that they believed the docket was useful background material for EOCO to start its own inquiry into the case’s features for which OSP has no direct authority.
“The OSP will lend its full collaborative support to EOCO in its review and investigation of the improbable further action,” he added.
In the meantime, the OSP and Mr. Andy Thomas Owusu, the second accused in the Republic v. Charles Bissue case, have reached a plea agreement that has been submitted to the court.
According to Mr. Agyebeng, they were charged with 15 counts of corruption and offenses related to corruption by the OSP on April 28, 2025.
He stated that the court would finalize the restitutive and reparative procedures related to the plea deal in the upcoming days.
“Special Prosecutor accepted Andy Thomas Owusu’s offer of restitution and reparation to the Republic on the following considerations in accordance with Section 7214 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act 2017, Act 951,” he said.
He stated it was admirable how cooperative Mr. Owusu was throughout the investigation.
Source: newsthemegh.com