Attorney General advises EOCO against initiating money laundering probe against Cecilia Dapaah
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has been advised by the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice against initiating money laundering investigations into former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah.
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In response to EOCO's request for advice on the matter, the Attorney General's office in a letter dated April 25, 2024, and copied to EOCO, said the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) did not furnish EOCO with the report on their investigations which suggested that the former Minister was involved in money laundering.
The Attorney General's office pointed out that the OSP had not responded to EOCO's inquiry for its findings on the issue.
According to the Attorney General's assessment, the docket presented to EOCO only included the OSP’s letter transmitting the docket, the diary of action, statements taken during the investigation, and correspondence sent by the OSP to other institutions such as the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and banks for inquiries.
Upon further scrutiny of the docket, the Attorney General's office determined that the OSP did not uncover any evidence of corruption or corruption-related offenses involving Cecilia Dapaah.
The Attorney General's office stressed that the key of pursuing money laundering investigations lies in the ability to demonstrate that financial gains were derived from criminal proceeds arising from illegal activity.
"In the absence of the identification of any criminality associated with the properties retrieved from the suspects, the OSP's referral to EOCO for investigations to be conducted into money laundering is without basis."
The Attorney General advised against EOCO delving into the source of Cecilia Dapaah's funds, as the CID had been tasked with handling that aspect of the case.
"Even though as part of your mandate you could commence investigations into the source(s) of the money found in the home of the suspects, we do not find this necessary since this Office before the reference by the OSP, had instructed the Police Service who are already seised with other aspects of the case to investigate the sources of the huge sums of money found in the homes of the suspects, a fact the OSP is aware of. We find from the OSP's docket, marked as B1", a copy of the Attorney-General's letter to the Director-General of the CID dated 31st July 2023", the statement stated.
The Special Prosecutor's Office had initially requested EOCO's involvement after determining that the case, which involved over 1 million dollars found in the former minister's house among other issues, did not fall under its jurisdiction, albeit suspecting potential money laundering.
Following months of collaborative investigation with agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States, as indicated by the OSP, the decision marked a significant development in a case of substantial national interest.
Read full statement below