Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, has stated that it would have better approach for the Police to consult the Attorney General before investigating Madam Cecilia Dapaah over her ‘stolen’ funds from her home.
He emphasized that considering the nature of the case, the complaint, the substantial amount of money involved, and the high level of public interest, seeking the Attorney General’s input would have been prudent.
During a discussion on the topic, “CECE DAPAAH $1M: Lifestyle Audit, Money Laundering, Code of Conduct Bill,” on an Accra-based television station, Mr. Tuah-Yeboah expressed his opinion.
He clarified that although the Police had the authority to conduct investigations, involving the Attorney General in the process could have been beneficial in handling the matter more effectively.
“The AG has exclusive authority by the constitution to initiate all criminal prosecutions on behalf of the republic. However, He is not able to prosecute all the cases and in view of that various entities or bodies have been given the permission to prosecute cases on its behalf and one of such institutions is the Police.”
“The AG office does not investigate cases-that lie with the Police and other security bodies so in the event that a complaint is lodged with the Police, they would have to investigate and after that go to court and prosecute on behalf of the AG,” he said.
He said the AG’s request for the case docket would not interfere with the work of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Mr. Alfred Tuah-Yeboah highlighted that upon reviewing the docket, the Attorney General (AG) could provide valuable advice on the charges related to the case. The AG’s guidance might recommend maintaining, dropping, or amending the charges.
This means that the charges could either stay as they are, be removed, or modified, potentially leading to an increase or decrease in their severity. Additionally, the AG might suggest new charges if relevant evidence supports it.
Furthermore, Mr. Tuah-Yeboah pointed out that the AG could advise the Police to conduct further investigations in areas that may have been overlooked during the initial inquiry. This way, any crucial information or evidence that was missed could be properly addressed to ensure a more comprehensive and accurate investigation.
“The OSP Act allows the OSP to investigate corruption related matters, procurement, lifestyle audit, etc. We are rather looking at stealing, dishonestly receiving, conspiracy amongst others. So, there is no attempt whatsoever to be in conflict with the work of the OSP,” he said.
“Officers at the AG are still reviewing the docket and afterwards, any one of these options may be activated. Possibly, within about a week or two, the AG would issue a letter to give advice on what should be done,” he said.