Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has said that it will be in the interest of former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah to publicly explain to Ghanaians how she acquired the huge sum of money, as it is perceived to be the proceeds of corruption.
However, Mr Kpebu has said Madam Dapaah cannot be charged with corruption if she decides not to disclose the owner or source, and the court is also not able to establish that.
Mr Kpebu made this comment on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, stating the onus lies on the prosecutors to do a thorough job to be able to establish those facts even if Madam Dapaah decides not to be forthcoming.
In his view, if it was an ordinary person involved in the case, he or she, under duress, could have revealed the source of the money.
“But with Cecilia Dapaah’s status as former Minister, she cannot be forced to say anything she doesn’t want to because the law doesn’t bind an accused person to provide evidence in a case, but on the prosecutor,” he said.
However, the lawyer noted that, as much as she may not be charged with corruption if events turn out in that manner, what the Attorney General can do is enter a confiscation process in court.
“The money involved is a lot, and her 50-year salary may not even amount to that, so if she is not able to produce the source, the state will have to confiscate it, and the law allows that,” he added.
Meanwhile, the embattled public officer’s accounts and investments containing substantial amounts of dollars and cedis have been frozen as part of investigations into corruption allegations.
The OSP is seeking a “confirmation of the seizure by the Office of the Special Prosecutor of the property of the Respondent upon the grounds contained in the accompanying affidavit and for any further order(s) as the court may deem fit.”
An Accra High Court has therefore set Thursday, August 17, to rule on the confirmation or otherwise of the freezing of former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah’s bank accounts.
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