Former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah, has vehemently denied allegations made by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) that she is involved in real estate business with aliases and that her late brother's bank accounts continue to transfer funds to her.
These claims were outlined in an affidavit in opposition to the application for the confirmation of the re-seized GHc 2.83 million and the re-frozen bank accounts of Cecilia Dapaah.
The OSP had previously filed a similar application that was denied by a court order. In the latest application, the OSP cited suspicious transactions in Dapaah's bank accounts and alleged that she operated an undisclosed real estate company under the alias name of Nana Yaa Ode.
However, Dapaah clarified that Nana Yaa Ode was her mother, not an alias used for real estate dealings.
Furthermore, the OSP claimed that funds from Cecilia Dapaah's late brother's bank account were being transferred to her.
Cecilia Dapaah explained that these funds were actually funeral donations collected by Cal Bank at her brother's funeral, and they were intended for the payment of her late brother's children's school fees.
Regarding the re-seized money, the OSP raised concerns about Dapaah's claim that part of the money was proceeds from her Dermacare Cosmetics business in 2003. The OSP pointed out that the currency notes discovered were in denominations introduced in 2007, not in existence in 2003.
Cecilia Dapaah clarified that she did not claim to have registered a business called Dermacare Enterprise but rather had a sole proprietorship called “Dermacare Shop” that dealt in cosmetics, skincare, shoes, bags, and other items.
Additionally, Cecilia Dapaah denied allegations that part of the money in question was $590,000 out of the $1 million dollars allegedly stolen from her home, for which eight individuals are facing criminal charges.
The former Sanitation Minister strongly refuted these allegations in her affidavit in opposition to the OSP's application.
