Director of Strategy, Research, and Communications at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Samuel Appiah Darko, has revealed that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has already returned the docket concerning former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah.
In an interview on Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM, Mr. Darko clarified that EOCO’s statements suggesting that they intend to return the docket are false, as the return has already taken place.
“Let me start with what EOCO said yesterday [Monday, May 6] that they were going to return the docket to the OSP, that is not accurate. They have long returned the docket to us with an explanation that they have been advised by the AG [Attorney General] not to investigate but remember, we did not say to prosecute, [to] investigate and so I don’t understand why EOCO will say they are now going to return the docket to OSP.”
Mr. Darko also refuted allegations that the docket forwarded to EOCO was without merit, asserting that EOCO’s actions demonstrate a lack of interest in investigating the matter and an attempt to shift blame onto the OSP.
“The second point I want to make is this whole idea that the docket that the OSP sent to EOCO was baseless and if you will indulge me, I am going to be a bit detailed, although we are not supposed to do this but our point is that if there is no appetite to want to investigate and prosecute, tell the people of Ghana that there is no appetite but don’t try to put the blame on the OSP.”
During her address to the media at the 14th Commonwealth Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-corruption Agencies in Africa on Monday, Executive Director of EOCO, Maame Yaa Tiwa Addo-Danquah, revealed that her organization plans to return the docket as there is nothing further they can do with it.
“If you read the A-G’s advice, whatever that we would have done had already been directed at the police CID. And like he said this morning, when you investigate a case and you do not find anything, we should be bold enough to come and tell the public that for this case, even though I suspected this at the day, that wasn’t what came out; we should be bold to tell Ghanaians.”