The High Court has granted former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah’s request for an expedited hearing in her case involving the seizure of her money and the freezing of her bank accounts.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) filed an application seeking permission to continue seizing the money found at Dapaah’s residence and freezing her bank accounts.
But the former minister filed an application, pleading with the court to hear the case earlier.
The lawyers of Dapaah and her husband argued that the application to abridge time is premised because the delay in hearing the matter is causing undue hardships to the respondents and that the application for confirmation is a repeat application.
However, lawyers from the OSP opposed the application, claiming that Dapaah and her husband are seeking to prevent them from responding to their affidavit in opposition to the substantive application for confirmation of freezing and seizure orders.
Cecilia Dapaah also grounds this application on the assertion that the confirmation application filed on September 5 is a repeat of an application that was dismissed on August 31.
In response to these arguments, the OSP opined that the arguments of the lawyers for the former appointee are based on a misconception.
The OSP argued further that the substantive application is a fresh process unfettered by any prior considerations and is originating from the events of September 5.
The court granted the application with a slight modification for the confirmation application to be heard on Thursday, October 12, rather than on the proposed October 18 day.
The presiding judge, Justice Eric Twum, considered the timelines for the re-seizure and re-freezing, and the return date selected was unfair.
The OSP’s team selected a return date of October 18, more than a month after the processes were filed.
The High Court has granted the application for the confirmation application to be moved to October 12 in view of fairness and expeditious trial.
By: Rashid Obodai Provencal/Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
