Former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah has denied claims by the Special Prosecutor that she is involved in real estate business with aliases.
She described the assertions as misleading adding that it was also not true that the bank accounts of her brother continued to transfer monies to her even after his death.
The former minister responded to these claims 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 is back in court with a new application praying that the accounts of the minister are frozen.
He is alleging that the monies seized at Cecilia Dapaah’s home and the funds in her bank accounts are tainted properties
The OSP told the court that there were suspicious transactions with her accounts.
He among other allegations noted that Cecilia Dapaah operated an undisclosed real estate company under the alias name of Nana Yaa Ode.
But the former minister has denied the claims stating ‘That I have an undisclosed and undeclared real estate business when I have no real estate business and Applicant has not provided a scintilla of evidence that I do. That I concealed my identity by using aliases to sell the property to third parties when Applicant’s own Exhibit OSP16 shows that I rather sold the property in a representative capacity for Nana Yaa Ode. Nana Yaa Ode also known as Nana Ode Nyarko was my mother (now deceased).’
Responding to the issue about her dead brother sending money to her accounts, she explained that the monies were from Cal bank in the name of his late brother which were used to receive funeral donations.
‘This account was opened with funeral donations collected by Cal Bank at my late brother’s funeral. The correct account name is conspicuously stated in the Applicant’s Exhibit OSP18 and the Applicant could easily have ascertained the mandate on the account from Cal Bank. The funds are transferred to me for payment of the school fees of my late brother’s children.’
The OSP had also claimed that Madam Dapaah had informed them that part if the seized money was proceeds from a cosmetic company Demacare cosmetics she registered.
But Cecilia Dapaah in her affidavit in opposition indicated that she did not claim to have registered Demacare Enterprise.’
‘I never mentioned registering any business called Dermacare Enterprise. I rather stated “Dermacare shop dealing in cosmetics, skincare, shoes, bags and other miscellaneous items” and that Dermacare was a sole proprietorship. Good faith investigation would have revealed that on 26th July 1994, I registered a business that was carried on at Dermacare Shop in Dzorwulu, Accra.’
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
