Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has lauded Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng for his decision to accuse former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, and her husband of money laundering.
Kpebu noted that Agyebeng could have overlooked the money laundering possibility since his office was only mandated to investigate corruption. However, he chose to address the suspicious activities, demonstrating his commitment to his role.
In a statement reported by myjoyonline.com, Kpebu said, “If anything at all, we should be commending Kissi Agyebeng exceedingly. We should be giving a high round of applause to Kissi Agyebeng for blowing the whistle that, hey, this thing looks like money laundering.
“You know, he could have just kept quiet. ‘I am mandated to do corruption; I did not find corruption and corruption-related offences, so case closed.’ But as he was saying case closed, he also said, ‘But I see money laundering,’ so we have to applaud Kissi Agyebeng and the OSP for a yeoman’s job,”
Background on Cecilia Dapaah’s Case:
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) recently closed its case against Cecilia Dapaah and her husband, Daniel Osei Kufuor, who faced accusations of corruption after their house helps allegedly stole $1 million and €300,000 in cash, along with other valuables, from their residence in Abelemkpe.
Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng concluded that his office lacked the jurisdiction to prosecute the case further and referred it to the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), suspecting the large sums of money found might be linked to money laundering.
However, EOCO returned the case dockets following advice from the Attorney General’s Office, stating the referral for money laundering lacked basis.
Attorney General Godfred Dame also stated that there was no evidence of corruption or procurement breaches against Dapaah and her husband.
Petition for Special Prosecutor’s Removal:
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has forwarded a petition for the removal of Kissi Agyebeng as Special Prosecutor to the Chief Justice. The petition, presented by former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu, cited procurement irregularities, alleged misconduct involving judges, infringement of citizens’ rights, and improper staff appointments.
Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo is currently assessing whether there is sufficient evidence to form a committee for Agyebeng’s potential impeachment, and she has asked the Special Prosecutor to respond to the issues raised in the petition.