Former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has filed an application at the Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court seeking an order of an interlocutory injunction against the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
Dapaah is praying the court to prevent the OSP and its officers from taking any step that could prejudice her rights to fair trial, protection from deprivation of property, and administrative justice.
She is also seeking to prevent the OSP from continuing their investigations into her and her husband, Daniel Osei Kufuor, until the final determination of the case.
Dapaah had initially opposed the suit against her by the OSP, stating that the re-seizure of her monies and re-freezing of her accounts and properties were “unfair, unreasonable, capricious, arbitrary, and ultra vires” viz-a-viz the OSP’s powers in Act 959 and provisions of Article 23 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution.
She has also sought a court order to release her money and unfreeze her account.
In her affidavit, Dapaah said her opposition was necessary due to the OSP’s “prejudicial” and “arbitrary” conduct since the inception of its investigations against her.
“I am advised by Counsel and verily believe same to be true that to prevent further violation of my constitutionally guaranteed rights and rendering my application for judicial review otiose, it is imperative that the Respondent is restrained from continuing his investigation pending the determination of my said application,” she said.
Dapaah added that damages against her would be “inadequate to compensate” her if her application for an injunction was not granted by the court.
The OSP has not yet responded to the request by Dapaah.
By Vincent Kubi