The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has revealed that after nearly seven months of joint investigations with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, no direct or immediate evidence of corruption has been established against former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, regarding her seized funds and frozen bank accounts.
This follows a high-profile probe that began in July 2023, focusing on large cash sums and valuable items found in the possession of Ms. Dapaah and her associates.
OSP and FBI Joint Investigation Findings
In its Half-Year Report for 2025, the OSP stated:
“After nearly seven months of extensive investigation by the Office and a parallel inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, no direct and immediate evidence of corruption was found in respect of seized funds and frozen bank accounts linked to Ms. Dapaah and her associates – though the investigation identified strong indications of suspected money laundering and structuring, beyond the direct mandate of the Office.”
This suggests that while corruption evidence was not established, the case raised concerns over suspected money laundering and financial structuring.
Cecilia Dapaah’s Legal Challenge
The collaboration between the FBI and OSP came shortly after Ms. Dapaah’s lawyers filed an affidavit at the Human Rights Division of the High Court, seeking an injunction against the OSP’s ongoing investigations.
The former Bantama MP argued that the re-seizure of her funds and the re-freezing of her accounts were “unfair, unreasonable, capricious, arbitrary and ultra vires.”
Her affidavit further stated:
“I am advised by Counsel and verily believe same to be true that to prevent further violation of my constitutionally guaranteed rights and rendering my application for judicial review nugatory, it is imperative that the Respondent is restrained from continuing his investigation pending the determination of my said application.”
Failure to Declare Income Charges
In addition to the corruption-related probe, the OSP charged Cecilia Abena Dapaah with failing to declare her income upon a lawful demand, as required under Section 69(1)(a) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
According to the OSP:
“As at close of business on 5 October 2023, the Accused had wilfully failed, without lawful excuse, to return the duly completed statutory forms to the Office of the Special Prosecutor, more than thirty (30) days after the service of the notice and forms to her.”
Background and Public Interest
The Cecilia Dapaah case has attracted nationwide and international attention, given the unusual sums of money involved and the rare involvement of the FBI in Ghana’s anti-corruption investigations.
While the OSP report clears her of direct corruption charges, the lingering allegations of money laundering and undeclared income keep the former minister at the center of Ghana’s most controversial corruption probe in recent years.
