The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has filed a certiorari at the Supreme Court to quash a High Court decision which approved an expedited hearing of the seizure of former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah‘s money and the freezing of her bank accounts.
As a result, he has filed an application at the High Court to stay the proceedings until the final determination of the application at the Supreme Court.
Dr Isidore Tuffuor, who represented the OSP in court on Wednesday, notified the court about the latest application.
Petition
The High Court presided over by Justice Edward Twum, was last Tuesday expected to take the plea of Ms Dapaah in a case in which the OSP had accused her of failing to declare her assets during her time as a Minister.
Aside from that, a second attempt by the OSP to freeze the assets and accounts of Ms Dapaah was also expected to be heard by the same court that day.
But the OSP petitioned the Chief Justice to remove Justice Twum from all its cases, including that of the former Sanitation Minister.
U-turn
When the case was called today (Oct 18), Justice Twum confirmed to Victoria Barth, lawyer for Ms Dapaah that he has been notified that the OSP had withdrawn the petition.
However, few minutes later, Justice Twum retired to his chamber. Later, he announced that he had been informed that the petition was still pending.
Plan
Lawyers for the former minister were of the view that the introduction of the latest applications by the OSP is an “orchestrated plan” to flee from the hearing of the OSP’s own application.
“It is important to note the clearly orchestrated plan by the applicant to delay or flee the hearing of his own application which is causing injury to the respondent and infringing upon the first respondent’s economic right,” Barth said.
But in a sharp rebuttal, Dr Tuffuor described the comments by the former minister’s lawyers as an attack on the integrity and person of the Special Prosecutor.
Justice Twum has adjourned the matter to October 25, this year for the motion for stay of proceeding to be heard.
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