OSP wants Chief Justice to recuse and remove judge from all its cases
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has written to the Chief Justice to recuse and remove Justice Edward Twum from all the cases involving that Office.
The OSP is asking the Chief Justice to do so because it believes that Justice Twum appears to be highly prejudiced against it and the person of the Special Prosecutor.
“Consequently, as it stands, the OSP would not and cannot be reasonably expected to be parties to proceedings before the said judge,” it said.
Justice Twum is handling a number of cases involving the OSP, including the OSP’s investigation of the former Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah. The OSP is investigating the former minister for corruption and corruption related activities, after Ms Dapaah’s house helps stole large amounts of money, including foreign currencies from her residence.
The house helps have been arrested and are in court. On the charge sheet, which was amended, the police said an amount of $1 million belonging to Mad Dapaah was stolen, including some €300,000 and items running into several hundred thousand cedis.
The Attorney-General however, in a dramatic fashion uncommon with that office in criminal cases, called for the docket and reviewed it. In the Attorney-General’s review, the stolen amount in US dollars came down to $800,000, but the ownership changed to that of the Late brother of Ms Dapaah.
The Attorney-General’s review contained the following: “Cecilia Abena Dapaah returned to Accra on 10th October 2022 to find that their bedroom had been ransacked. In a statement to the police on 4 July 2023, she stated that it took her a couple of days to arrange the things in the room and find out the items which had been lost. After going through her things she found a number of personal items including those of her deceased brother missing.
The personal items included a collection of jewellery she had kept for about 35 years totaling $95,000, various types of Kente cloth, Hollandaise and GTP cloths with a total value of about GH¢56,000, dresses valued at about GH¢20,000, various types of handbags, totaling $35,500 and different types of perfumes valued at $1400.
She also found that they had lost a bag containing about $200,000, another bag containing €300,000, an amount of GH¢300,000 contribution for her mother’s funeral, GH¢50,000 for the house and a box containing about $800,000 belonging to her deceased brother which was sent to her together with some regalia for safe keeping, following the death of her brother. She did not indicate who the $200,000 and the €300,000 belonged to.”
By Emmanuel K Dogbevi