The Director of Strategy, Research, and Communication at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Sammy Darko, has clarified that the corruption-related case involving former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah is no longer before the OSP, but is currently being handled by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
Speaking during a Q&A session on X Spaces on Sunday, November 23, 2025, he highlighted that Ghana’s failure to enact an “unexplained wealth order” continues to hamper efforts to tackle suspected illicit enrichment.
“The OSP has said that we are just about 10 countries out of 195 that do not have a particular anti-corruption power or law — the unexplained wealth order. This is not looking good for Ghana at all,” he stated.
Mr. Darko explained that such a law would allow authorities to shift the burden of proof onto individuals whose income does not match their assets, compelling them to justify the source of their wealth.
“This is a law that would have helped us deal with Cecilia Dapaah’s case quickly. If we are able to establish that a person’s lawful income does not match their assets, then the burden shifts to them to explain how they came by their money,” he said.
Because Ghana lacks this provision, the OSP faced major limitations in pursuing the case. After reviewing the available evidence, the next potential charge would have been money laundering—but that requires proof of an underlying corruption offence, which the OSP could not establish under current law.
“When there was a change in government and the new EOCO came into office, we forwarded the case back to EOCO,” he revealed, adding, “It has been with them for about six months now. We can request from them an update.”
