Prosecutor no get right freeze my accounts - former sanitation minister Cecilia Dapaah tok

High court for Accra don set August 31 to rule on di application by di special prosecutor to confam di freeze of bank accounts of former sanitation minister Cecilia Dapaah.

Di court wey Justice Edward Twum dey preside hear arguments from di office of di special prosecutor (OSP) den lawyer for di former minister.

Di prosecutor apply say make di court confam di freeze according to OSP act 959 section 38 (2) wey tok say make di SP write for di court within 14 days afta in freeze di property.

SP dey investigate corruption for di mata wey happun as domestic staff tiff $1m, €300k den oda cedi amount for di minister im house in 2022.

On August 10, office of di special prosecutor search three houses of di minister wey dem find more moni.

Di moni according to court documents be $590k den GHC 2.7m.

Na im di prosecutor wan “make di court confam di freeze of di accounts den oda assets as dem dey continue dia investigations”.

Wetin prosecutor tok for court

SP director of prosecution, Dr. Isidore Tuffour tok say di source of di moni dem find for di minister im house den im accounts be “highly doubtful dat be why dem seize am pending investigation”.

Im also add say di “former minister never give gist about how im get di plenty moni”.

Dr. Tuffour maintain say di freeze go facilitate dia investigation.

But lawyer for di former minister don disagree wit di application by di SP.

Former minister make im case

Lawyer for di former minister, Victoria Barth argue say di prosecutor im affidavit get plenty misrepresentations.

Im also tok say di prosecutor file di application “out of time”.

According to madam Barth, di law tok say SP for apply confam di freeze within 7 days of di administrative freeze.

Di SP write give di minister im banks on July 26 say make dem freeze im accounts, wey im file di motion for court on August 9, wey pass di seven day window.

Sake of dis, di lawyer for di minister tok say make di court throw away di application, na bogus mata.

Madam Barth also argue say di prosecutor no demonstrate enough grounds wey confam say di moni get corruption wahala.

“Di fact say you find moni for di minister im matrimonial home no means say di moni be corruption moni”.

Im explain too say “di prosecutor don ask di banks on August 9 say make dem provide am plus details of moni e dey inside di accounts.”

“Therefore all di gist about di account make available give di OSP wey e fit take determine whether di moni be clean”.

Victoria Barth conclude say make di court dismiss di special prosecutor im application sake of e dey “breach of di law and seeks to exercise powers based on mere suspicion”.

“Dis suspicion be fueled by misrepresentation of facts den resultant media frenzy”, she tok.

Ruling date

Na so di judge wey preside Justice Edward Twum afta hearing di argument from both parties tok say im go rule on di mata on August 31.

Di high court for Accra hear di case virtually.

Lawyers for di prosecutor den di former minister do dia submissions via zoom.

One time as di mata dey go on, di judge ask di lawyer for di prosecutor why dem no arrest di minister im husband as part of di investigations.

Na im Dr. Tuffuor tok say “di OSP arrest di former minister den im husband - wey dem grant dem OSP inquiry bail pending investigations”.

But lawyer for defendant Victoria Barth tok di court say im client say she no make aware say dem arrest im husband.