Martin Kpebu, a private legal practitioner, has urged the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to completely reveal the amount of money seized from former Sanitation and Water Resources Minister Cecilia Dapaah.
The anti-corruption advocate stated that releasing the exact quantity to the public will benefit in the battle against corruption, citing different claims regarding the total amount discovered in the former minister’s accounts.
The former minister’s Cedi and Dollar bank accounts were blocked by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on August 9, but the judgment was reversed by the Accra High Court on August 31.
The court ordered that cash confiscated from the former minister be returned to her within seven days, and it also ordered that Cecilia Dapaah’s accounts be unfrozen.
However, the OSP used its authority to recover control of the money on Monday, only days after the High Court ordered the agency to release the confiscated funds.
Mr. Kpebu stated on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News that such a declaration will motivate the people to join the battle against corruption.
“When Kissi Agyebeng did not give us the full amount involved, it emboldened Madam Dapaah and her lawyers who then went and attacked a media house about a $5 million figure given out there and so Mr. Agyebeng should disclose the total amount involved, and it is the least he can do and that will help push the fight against corruption.”
“He [Kissi Agyebeng] has to put the figures out to ginger the fight and create excitement about the fight against corruption.”
He also criticized Cecilia Dapaah for being unable to clarify the source of her wealth.
“So far, she [Cecilia Dapaah] has not been able to give credible answers as to the source of the money, and let us not forget that the OSP Act and also under the constitution in Article 286 (4), if they find you with money and that money cannot reasonably be attributed to inheritance, income, gift or loan, then it is unexplained wealth and that is illegal. And so all these things should be dealt with because the OSP stated that she is not able to account for the money.”
