Accra High Court Grants Early Hearing to Cecilia Dapaah’s Case

The Accra High Court has granted the application by former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah to have her case heard earlier than scheduled, albeit with a slight modification.

The Accra High Court has granted the application by former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah to have her case heard earlier than scheduled, albeit with a slight modification. Originally slated for October 18, Madam Dapaah sought an abridgement of time for the case to be heard on October 11, 2023, as she expressed that the delay was causing her hardship, stress, and embarrassment. The court has ruled that her application will be heard on October 12, 2023.

The lawyers for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) objected to the application, filing an opposition. They argued that Madam Dapaah was attempting to “deprive the public of its reaction to the affidavit in opposition served on us.”

Lead counsel Esther Tetteh stated, “We’re relying on the affidavit in opposition that we have filed before this court on 10th October. The motion for confirmation of seizure and freezing of the account was duly served on the applicant on 20th September with the return date set for 18th October.”

The OSP had filed for the confirmation of the freeze on her account and seizure of assets after releasing the same on September 5, 2023.

In his ruling, Justice Edward Twum acknowledged that in the interest of justice, fairness, and expeditious trial, the court was adopting the abridgement of time filed by Cecilia Dapaah’s lawyers. The judge explained that the applicant demonstrated that the longer the delay in the case’s hearing, the more it affected her. He also noted the timeline of events and the delay in serving the processes to Madam Dapaah.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor, in accordance with a previous High Court ruling, released the seized monies of Cecilia Dapaah and unfroze her bank account on August 31. The application for the confirmation of the account refreeze was filed on September 11 but was served on the former Minister on September 20.

Madam Dapaah has since filed an injunction suit against the Office of the Special Prosecutor, seeking to prevent further investigations. The OSP has also collaborated with the Federal Bureau of Investigations in the United States to examine the transactions of the former Minister, both in and out of the US.