Ransford Edward Van Gyampo, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana has said turn out of events regarding the Cecilia Abena Dapaah money laundering scandal is as a result of the respective state institutions’ fear of standing in the way of the President.
According to him, the President’s letter to the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources provides some form of prejudgement on the matter that seeks to vindicate Cecilia Dapaah, something none of the anti-corruption institutions probing the issue want to tamper with.
On the KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, May 11, 2024, Prof. Gyampo said heads of the various institutions see the President as a “political King Kong”, for which reason they fear to undertake any action that would compromise his stance.
“…none of the state institutions want to stand in his way because he’s a political King Kong. Everybody fears him. Even heads of independent institutions that are quite required to accept their independence and power, they are afraid of him,” he told Alfred Ocansey.
His comments come on the back of the President’s statement on the Cecilia Dapaah cash saga which he says has affected how the investigations should have been carried out.
After her resignation as Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources following her missing cash scandal, President Akufo-Addo in the resignation acceptance letter disclosed that he was confident she was going to be exonerated.
“I am confident, like you, that, at the end of the day, your integrity, whilst in office, will be fully established. I wish you the very best in all your endeavours,” the President said in his letter.
The Attorney-General then advised the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) against conducting investigation into the money laundering aspect of the scandal.
The matter was referred to the EOCO by the Office of the Special Prosecutor who said its mandate was limited with regards to investigating money laundering.
EOCO subsequently returned the dockets to the OSP after it said the Attorney-General’s advice forbids them from carrying out any probe.
Cecilia Dapaah’s case: Special Prosecutor messed up – Lawyer
