The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has confirmed that investigations carried out in collaboration with the United States Federal Bureau of Inv
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has confirmed that investigations carried out in collaboration with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) did not find direct evidence of corruption against former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
According to the OSP’s 2025 half-year report, the joint inquiry, which lasted nearly seven months, examined large sums of money seized from Dapaah’s residence as well as frozen bank accounts linked to her and her associates.
The report stated that no immediate evidence of corruption was uncovered.
However, it noted that there were “strong indications of suspected money laundering and structuring activities,” which fall outside the OSP’s direct legal mandate.
How the Case Began
The controversy surrounding Cecilia Dapaah dates back to July 2023, when police investigators discovered huge sums of cash in her Accra residence while probing her house helps for theft.
The revelation sparked public outrage and raised questions about the source of her wealth, prompting the OSP to open a corruption-related investigation.
In the months that followed, the OSP seized millions of cedis and foreign currency from the former minister’s home and froze several bank accounts.
The matter quickly became one of the most high-profile corruption cases in Ghana, drawing international attention and eventually leading to the involvement of the FBI.
Legal Battle in Court
Even as investigations proceeded, Dapaah’s legal team challenged the OSP’s actions in court. She described the repeated seizure of her funds and the re-freezing of her assets as “unfair, unreasonable, capricious, arbitrary and ultra vires.”
In an affidavit filed at the Human Rights Division of the High Court, the former Bantama MP argued that the OSP’s conduct violated her constitutional rights.
Her lawyers sought an injunction to halt the investigations until the court determined their application for judicial review.
OSP’s Additional Charges
Aside from the corruption probe, the OSP also charged Cecilia Dapaah for failing to declare her assets and income upon a lawful demand, contrary to Section 69(1)(a) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
The OSP claimed that by October 5, 2023, she would willfully failed to submit the required statutory forms more than 30 days after notice was served.
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