The Member of Parliament for Ho West, Emmanuel Bedzrah, has urged the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to speedily unravel the mystery behind the stockpile of cash that was reportedly stolen from the home of the former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah.
He said the restoration of hope in Ghana’s fourth republic rests on the outcome of the investigations, hence the OSP must attach some urgency and importance to the case.
“We are hopeful that the Special Prosecutor would diligently investigate the matter with the urgency required while using appropriate laws to exact some sanity.
“The outcome of this investigation would not only help redeem our sinking image as African politicians, but will also restore hope in our fourth republic as a country”, he said in a statement copied to Myjoyonline.com.
Mr Bedzrah, who is also the Chairman of the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC), said though the news was received with disbelief, initial investigations by the Special Prosecutor, authenticated it, as an undisclosed amount of cash was found at Madam Dapaah’s residence.
Mr Bedrah said the revelations of the embattled Minister hoarding large sums of cash, both local and foreign currencies in her residence damaged the image of Africa’s political class.
“We at the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC) are equally shocked at the sad development. We are however delighted with the swift action by the Special Prosecutor to arrest and investigate the former minister. We commend the Special Prosecutor and urge him and his team of investigators to work hard and unravel the mystery behind the stockpile of cash at Madam Cecilia Dapaah’s home,” he said.
Mr Bedzrah further indicated that “Ghana as a country has witnessed a decline on the global Corruption Perception Index for some time now, and one would have thought that our actions as politicians would have been geared towards reversing the downward trend.
Unfortunately, citizens are being fed with the realities of corrupt practices and unbridled greed by the ruling class on daily basis. The current exposure only worsens public perception of politically exposed persons relative to corruption.”
He, therefore, entreated the citizenry to support the OSP with “information and prayer” as it investigates the source of cash, decision to keep such huge sums of money at home among others.
Already, the OSP has promised to update Ghanaians on its inquiries into the scandal.
The OSP says it has taken a number of steps and actions, including detaining Madam Dapaah and conducting searches at two of her connected residential properties.
After news of her two house-helps’ court appearances for allegedly stealing $1 million, 300,000 Euros, millions of Ghanaian cedis, and other personal belongings from Madam Dapaah and her husband’s home went viral, the OSP moved to investigate the former minister.
The Special Prosecutor subsequently detained Madam Dapaah, and the former minister’s two homes were searched before she was granted bail.
Her arrest followed her resignation from her ministerial role.
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