EOCO has long returned Cecilia Dapaah’s docket to us – OSP reacts
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has debunked claims that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is yet to return the docket on former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah to them.
According to the Director of Strategy, Research, and Communications at the OSP, Samuel Appiah Darko, EOCO had returned the docket long ago.
He said the OSP was therefore surprised to hear the Executive Director of EOCO, Commissioner of Police (COP) Maame Yaa Tiwa Addo-Danquah, claiming that her office is yet to send the docket to the OSP.
The EOCO boss said this while addressing the media at the 14th Commonwealth Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-corruption Agencies in Africa, which was held on Monday May 6, 2024.
She said her outfit intends to return the docket due to the lack of additional information required by EOCO to conduct investigations for potential prosecution of the crime of money laundering.
COP Addo-Danquah said the decision was arrived at following the Attorney General’s (AG) advice on the matter.
She said the AG noted in his recommendation that the OSP failed to offer a basis for its determination of potential money laundering crimes for investigation by EOCO.
“If you read the A-G’s advice, whatever that we would have done had already been directed at the police CID. And like he said this morning, when you investigate a case and you do not find anything, we should be bold enough to come and tell the public that for this case, even though I suspected this at the day, that wasn’t what came out...”
Reacting to the subject on Accra-based Citi FM on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, Mr Darko said EOCO’s claims that it intends to return the docket are not accurate because that had already been done.
“Let me start with what EOCO said yesterday that they were going to return the docket to the OSP; that is not accurate. They have long returned the docket to us with an explanation that they have been advised by the Attorney General not to investigate...." he said.
He further refuted assertions that the docket OSP forwarded to EOCO was baseless, adding that EOCO is exhibiting its lack of interest in investigating the matter and rather attempting to blame the OSP.
“The second point I want to make is this whole idea that the docket that the OSP sent to EOCO was baseless and if you will indulge me, I am going to be a bit detailed, although we are not supposed to do this but our point is that if there is no appetite to want to investigate and prosecute, tell the people of Ghana that there is no appetite but don’t try to put the blame on the OSP”, he stressed.
Mr Darko also rejected claims that the OSP had cleared the Cecilia Dapaah of any offence, saying “The AG is saying that we had cleared Cecilia Dapaah of any offence is also not accurate because the OSP has never cleared Cecilia Dapaah because when you say you have cleared someone, it means that you have investigated and come to the conclusion that no offence has been committed.”
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