The Center for Democratic Development, Ghana (CDD-Ghana) has registered its dismay over the latest twist and turn in the Cecilia Dapaah’s case. 

The CDD-Ghana, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the Office of the Attorney-General (AG) had, in a letter addressed to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), dated April 25, 2024, advised EOCO to not investigate suspected money laundering in connection with certain monies found at the private residences of Mrs Cecilia Dapaah, a former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources. 

It said this followed a “request for directions” ostensibly made to the AG by EOCO following EOCO’s receipt of a referral from the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) concerning Mrs Dapaah’s case.  

It said the referral from the OSP had noted that while the OSP’s investigations had “identified strong indications of suspected money laundering and structuring,” such matters fell outside the OSP’s statutory mandate but were well within the EOCO’s mandate, hence the referral.  

The statement said in its advice to EOCO to not proceed with investigation of the matter, the AG stated that it found no grounds to warrant such an investigation because the OSP had not made any findings of criminal activity that would serve as a predicate offense for a money laundering case.  

It said the AG further stated that an investigation by EOCO into the Cecilia Dapaah matter was not necessary since the AG had apparently instructed the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) of the Ghana Police Service some eight months ago to investigate the source of the monies found at Mrs Dapaah’s residence.  

“The upshot of the AG’s advice is that the Cecilia Dapaah matter is over. Case closed. Once again, a high-profile case of suspected or alleged criminal conduct implicating a politically influential person has been terminated abruptly without proper credible resolution or closure,” the statement said. 

“It is not clear in what way the forced termination of further investigation into this matter by the AG serves either the public interest or helps the reputation of the target of the investigation.” 

The statement said it was hard to believe that, after over eight months of investigation following the alleged theft of $1 million and €300,000 cash from the home of Mrs Dapaah, the subsequent discovery of another $590,000 and GHS 2,730,000 in cash by the OSP in Madam Dapaah’s properties, not to mention the huge balances held in investment and bank accounts, Ghanaians could not get a simple satisfactory answer from any public agency as to the source of these monies.  

The statement said the fact that these monies, at least in the aggregate, apparently exceed the former Minister’s known or verifiable income should raise legitimate questions or reasonable suspicion or doubt as to their source. 

It said continuing to investigate this matter to establish the source of the monies was therefore eminently justifiable under the circumstances.  

“In fact, the idea that “unexplained wealth” can give rise to a reasonable suspicion or even a presumption of illegality of the source of such wealth is a principle embraced by our Constitution.” 

It said notably, Article 286(4) of the Constitution, in the chapter on the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, made it clear, in the context of the asset declaration regime, that assets of a declarant that were “not reasonably attributable to income, gift, loan, inheritance or any other reasonable source shall be deemed to have been acquired in contravention of this Constitution.”  

The statement said it was the same principle or presumption that justified at least a credible investigation in this matter.  

It noted that it was instructive that Mrs Dapaah refused to complete a Statement of Income and Property form during the OSP investigation.  

“So far, no other agency is known to have asked to see Mrs Dapaah’s asset declaration record or appears interested in getting to the bottom of this matter in order to bring it to a satisfactory closure.” 

It said the action of EOCO in requesting directions from the AG without first acting on the referral from the OSP to initiate its own investigation of the matter seemed oddly contrived.  

It reiterated that having been provided with a docket containing various exhibits, statements by twenty or so individuals, as well as the bare fact of the quantum of the monies found in the properties associated with Mrs Dapaah and her spouse, one would have expected EOCO to proceed with its own investigations, instead of seeking the AG’s legal advice on prosecution at that early pre-investigative stage.  

CDD-Ghana noted with great disappointment that the abrupt or inconclusive manner in which this matter had been ended fits a pattern in terms of the Nana Akufo-Addo Administration’s general attitude and response to scandals and allegations or reported incidents of criminal conduct, corruption or other financial malfeasance involving persons closely associated with the Government or ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).  

The statement said cases and scandals that had been treated in similar inclusive fashion include various galamsey scandals and a host of pseudo-PPP/procurement deals, including the recent SML case.  

It said the Government had not demonstrated a good faith commitment to working with the responsible agencies to bring any of these cases or scandals to a credible and satisfactory resolution.  

It said the Government, it appeared, was more interested in exonerating the targets or suspects in these cases than in working with the state’s investigative and prosecutorial agencies to resolve these matters in the public interest.  

The statement said the Government made much of the fact that it pioneered the establishment of the OSP and had provided significant financial resources to enable the OSP and related agencies to function.  

“But what is the point of funding the budgets of these investigative and anti-corruption or anti-crime agencies in one breath, while, turning around, to frustrate or obstruct their efforts to investigate politically sensitive and other high-profile cases”.  

It said given Ghana’s continuing dismal performance in fighting corruption and associated alarming deterioration of the quality of governance, this persistent inconclusive handling and shutting down of high-profile scandals only serves to further undermine the already low public trust in the nation’s state institutions.  

A youth group affiliated to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) known as ‘Bawumia Fun Club’ in the Volta Region has called on party leaders to name Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh as the running mate for Dr Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia, its flagbearer.

This, they said, would enable the party to run a smooth campaign by gathering more votes to break the eight in the December polls.

Mr Rashid Raji, the Volta Regional Chairman for the Club, explained to the Ghana News Agency that Dr Prempeh’s illustrious political career and unwavering dedication to the progress of Ghana made him the perfect choice.

“Dr Prempeh a former Minister of Energy, has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities as an MP for Manhyia South Constituency, and his re-election in 2016 and 2020 underscored the trust and confidence reposed in him,” he added.

Mr Raji stated that Dr. Opoku Prempeh was a key MP who exhibited a deep understanding of legislative processes and governance in parliamentary committees such as health and other appointments.

Dr Prempeh’s tenure as minister for Education under Nana Addo’s administration was characterised by groundbreaking reforms and initiatives aimed at enhancing Ghana’s education landscape he played a pivotal role in the implementation of the Free Senior High (SHS) policy which expanded access to education among youths.

“His commitment to promoting vocational and technical education and improving educational infrastructure has left an indelible mark on the sector.”

Mr Rajid described Dr Prempeh as a quality leader whose footsteps were showcased during his appointment as Energy Minister in 2021 where he embarked on comprehensive reforms that revitalised the energy industry.

He added that “Dr Opoku Prempeh’s relationship with all regions including Volta was exceptional and his achievements in various roles have earned him accolades and recognition, including being the best Minister in 2017 and 2019.

The group further urged the party hierarchy to choose Dr Prempeh ahead of others because “he remained steadfast, committed, resilient, competent, confident and passionate to the development of the country.”

Mr Rajid urged the public to rally behind the ruling NPP party to break the eight to enable the party to continue the numerous development projects for the benefit of all Ghanaians.

It’s a Wednesday morning at Exhibition Down, a community in Dansoman-one of the biggest estates in West Africa -located in the Ablekuma West Constituency of the Greater Accra region.

Despite the torrential rain the previous day, the streets look so dry and clean appealing not only to the homeless.

The bungalows, painted in different colours, sat side by side like polite, well-dressed men.

Occupants of the bungalows, mostly middle class, are going about their usual businesses.  Some commuting to work in their private cars, others, public transport.

Scores, who own mini shops have opened the shops, with tge streets getting busy as usual.

The contrast is the situation at Opetekwe, a community just two kilometers away from Exhibition Down.

Despite the brightness of the Sun that morning, some homes are still submerged.

Hundreds of people are finding it difficult to move about with flood waters covering every space.

The community looks unplanned and the absence of drains appears to cause flooding anytime it rains.

The joy of leaving the countryside or other slums in Accra to live at Dansoman seems to be diminishing gradually.

They did not know that the good stories about Dansoman means they must pay good rent to live happily here, fondly referred to as DC.

Opetekwe is not the only area that gets flooded when it rains. Glefe, Gbegbeyise, Agege and Mpoasei also get flooded among a few others.

Some residents here are of the view that once they are closer to the middle class, they would benefit from some social amenities from central and local governments but it is appearing to be just a wild dream.

Comfort, a middle-aged woman, who has been living in Opetekwe for the past 25 years, says development has eluded them, lamenting that the community has no single storm drain though politicians promise them every election cycle and take their votes.

Voting pattern

In Ghana, sometimes, the development of a community is dependent on the number of votes a political party garners from the community.

Though may sound unacceptable, some politicians ‘drop’ this in formal and informal speeches.

Ablekuma West Constituency is one of the constituencies considered as a stronghold of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

It is one of the 45 newly created constituencies for the 2012 General Election.

 It was previously part of the Ablekuma South constituency, which is also a stronghold of the NPP.

Available data on the official website of the Electoral Commission of Ghana shows that since the creation of the Constituency in 2012, the constituents have demonstrated their loyalty to the NPP by always electing its parliamentary candidate as their legislator.

In 2012, the incumbent MP, Ursula Owusu-Ekufful, who was the NPP’s Parliamentary Candidate, emerged as the winner in that election.

She polled 36,975 votes, representing 58.22 per cent.

The NDC’s candidate, Victoria Hammah, polled 26,153 representing 41.18 per cent votes while candidates for three other parties, the Progressive People’s party, Peoples National Congress and the National Democratic Party, managed to garner 291, 55 and 40 votes respectively.

Similarly in 2016, Mrs Owusu-Ekufful topped the chat again with 34,376 votes representing 56.96 per cent votes while NDC’s candidate, Diana Obenewa Twum, polled 20, 976 votes representing 34.76 per cent.

The 2020 elections was also not different from that of the 2012 and 2016.

As expected, the NPP’s candidate, Mrs Owusu-Ekufful emerged the winner. She polled 37,363 votes representing 54.27 per cent of the total vote cast.

Fighting floods and filths

The residents say despite this show of support through votes, their challenges remain unfixed.

While Opetekwe battles with flood and bad roads, Glefe, another densily populated neighbouring, is battling filth.

Unfortunately, floods and filth are not the only issues residents in these communities battle. They also have to deal with youth unemployment.

The Ablekuma West Constituency is one of the constituencies blessed with the abundance of water.

The Opetekwe community is situated close to the Densu River, where the Pambros Salt Industries Limited produces it salt from.

That aside, there are other communities  along the coast, with the possibility of making fishing a vibrant business venture.

But that is not the case. Many young people here are unemployed. All they do is to wander aimlessy in search of pleasure. 

The GNA met with Godslove Attoh, a young man in his mid thirties, who has resided in Opetekwe for the past 30 years.

In the company of four other friends, Godslove recounts how  unemployment in the constituency has compelled most of his friends to move to seek greener pastures elsewhere.

MPs Accomplishment

The MP has acchieved quite a lot for the constituency, according to some residents.

She’s credited with loan schemes, ICT facilities, and classroom blocks, among others.

The cry, however, is that, the densely populated communities are not seeing much of developments.

Fact is that, the Constituency is big.

Perhaps the local Assembly and other development organisations must help address the flooding and poor sanitation situations in the densely populated areas befitting the status of DC.

The political campaign season is here. Soon, politicians will be knocking at the doors of these residents. It must not be business as usual. Let’s change the Dansoman narrative. Lives of those in the densely populated areas, too, matter!