THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR vs CECILIA ABENA DAPAAH [2023]DLHC16227

Date	2023-08-31
Suit No.	SUIT NO. FT/0072/2023
Citation No.	[2023]DLHC16227

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE EDWARD TWUM

MS. AKUA ADIYIAH

MR. DOMINIC BRENYA-OTCHERE

MS. BENEDICTA AKITA

AND MR. KALIVIN MCQUAYE

MS. VICTORIA BARTH

[2023]DLHC16227
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR <o:p></o:p>(APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>CECILIA ABENA DAPAAH <o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[FINANCIAL &amp;
ECONOMIC CRIME DIVISION 2, HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

SUIT NO. FT/0072/2023&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE:
31ST AUGUST, 2023<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MS.
AKUA ADIYIAH FOR THE APPLICANT PRESENT<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

MR. DOMINIC BRENYA-OTCHERE PRESENT WITH MS. BENEDICTA
AKITA AND MR. KALIVIN MCQUAYE HOLDING THE BRIEF OF MS. VICTORIA BARTH FOR THE
RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE
EDWARD TWUM<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;<div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;BACKGROUND<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;This
is a ruling on an application on notice brought for and on behalf of the Special
Prosecutor (hereinafter "the Applicant") against Miss Cecilia Abena
Dapaah (hereinafter "the Respondent") for an order of this Court confirming
the freezing order in respect of suspected tainted property and confirmation of
seizure of suspected tainted property pursuant to sections 32, 38, 39 and 40 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act,
2017 (Act 959), Regulation&nbsp; 19&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; Office&nbsp;
of&nbsp; the&nbsp; Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations,
2018 (L.I. 2374) and Order 19 of&nbsp; the
High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (C.1.47.)<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The
Applicant filed the instant application at the Registry of this court on the
8th day of August, 2023 praying this court to confirm the seizure of suspected
tainted property by the authorized officers of the&nbsp; Applicant and the freezing of suspected
tainted property· against the Respondent. The Respondent filed an affidavit in
opposition to the Applicant's motion on the 15th day of August, 2023.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The
Applicant's Case<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;It
is the case of the Applicant that the Respondent herein was, until the 22nd day
of July 2023, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources. The Respondent
says on the 5th day of July, 2023, the Republic, acting on a complaint filed
by&nbsp; the&nbsp;
Respondent&nbsp; and&nbsp; her spouse, commenced criminal proceedings against
four persons at the Circuit Court, Accra in the case of The Republic vrs.
Patience Botwe and Three Ors under suit number 04/ 155/2023.&nbsp; It is the case of the Applicant that the
facts of the&nbsp; said case indicated that
between the months of July and October, 2022,&nbsp;
the&nbsp; accused&nbsp; persons&nbsp;
therein&nbsp; allegedly&nbsp; stole&nbsp;
valuable&nbsp; items, including&nbsp; money&nbsp;
in&nbsp; the&nbsp; sums&nbsp;
of&nbsp; One&nbsp; Million&nbsp;
United&nbsp; States Dollars
(US$1,000,000.00) and Three Hundred Thousand Euros (€300,000.00) from the
residence of the Respondent and her spouse.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;It
is the case of the Applicant that in her initial complaint to the police, the
Respondent indicated that US$800,000.00 of the&nbsp;
amount reportedly stolen from their matrimonial home belonged to her&nbsp; deceased&nbsp;
brother and&nbsp; GHC300,000.00&nbsp; was&nbsp;
contribution&nbsp; towards&nbsp; Respondent's&nbsp;
mother's funeral.&nbsp; According to
the Applicant, the Respondent did not indicate to the police who owned the
remainder of the Two Hundred Thousand US Dollars&nbsp; (US$200,000.00)&nbsp; and&nbsp;
the&nbsp; Three&nbsp; Hundred&nbsp;
Thousand&nbsp; Euros (€300,000.00).&nbsp;&nbsp; The Applicant&nbsp; says&nbsp;
following&nbsp; several&nbsp; negative&nbsp;
media reportage, the Respondent issued a public statement claiming that
there were noticeable inconsistencies&nbsp; between&nbsp; the&nbsp;
amounts of money being discussed in the public domain and the thrust of
the&nbsp; original complaint in the matter
(and attached the Respondent's public statement issued on the 21st day of July
2023 as Exhibit "OSPl").According
to the&nbsp; Applicant, the&nbsp; Respondent, by her&nbsp; public statement aforesaid was clearly
casting doubt on&nbsp; the&nbsp; cash sums stated&nbsp; on the charge sheet in the case of The
Republic v. Patience Botwe &amp; 3 Ors. as matched against the
original complaint to the police. The Applicant says based&nbsp; on the&nbsp;
totality&nbsp; of&nbsp; criminal intelligence&nbsp; gathered, the&nbsp;
Applicant determined that large sums of cash were stashed in the
residence of the Respondent and subsequently directed full investigations into
corruption and corruption-related offences involving the Respondent in
accordance with Regulation 6 of L.I. 2374 on the assumption that the large sums
of money mentioned&nbsp; in the charged&nbsp; sheet&nbsp;
in the suit&nbsp; stated&nbsp; supra&nbsp;
was suspicious and that the said sums were suspected tainted property as
being&nbsp; proceeds&nbsp; from&nbsp;
corruption&nbsp; and&nbsp; corruption-related&nbsp; offences, considering the fact that the
Respondent was a public figure at the time of the incident.Consequently,&nbsp; the Applicant says&nbsp; the Respondent was formally placed under
arrest&nbsp; on the 24th day of July, 2023 on
charges of corruption and corruption-related offences,&nbsp; and&nbsp;
subsequently&nbsp; conducted&nbsp; searches in three&nbsp; (3)&nbsp;
residential&nbsp; properties&nbsp; associated&nbsp;
with&nbsp; the&nbsp; Respondent&nbsp;
and situated&nbsp; at&nbsp; Cantonments,&nbsp;
Abelenkpe&nbsp; and&nbsp; Tesano,&nbsp;
all in&nbsp; Accra,&nbsp; and discovered cash in the sums of Five
Hundred and Ninety Thousand US Dollars&nbsp;
(US$590,000.00)&nbsp; and&nbsp; Two&nbsp;
Million Seven Hundred and&nbsp; Thirty
Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC2,730,000.00) at the Abelenkpe residence of the&nbsp; Respondent.&nbsp;
The Applicant says following the discovery, authorized officers of the&nbsp; Applicant's Office seized the cash on
reasonable grounds that they were suspected tainted property in accordance with
section 32(1) of Act 959 to prevent the concealment of the&nbsp; cash sums by the Respondent.&nbsp;&nbsp; It is&nbsp;
the&nbsp; case o[&nbsp; the&nbsp;
Applicant&nbsp; that to date,&nbsp; the facts revealed that the ownership of
those amounts remain in dispute and the sources remain&nbsp; highly&nbsp;
doubtful even though&nbsp; they were
found&nbsp; in the possession of the
Respondent.&nbsp;