Justice Edward Twum’s removal from cases involving Cecilia Dapaah has been requested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), but Ghana’s Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, has declined.
The Chief Justice denied the OSP’s request for Justice Twum to recuse himself, citing his alleged bias against their office in the petition.
The Judicial Secretary informed the OSP that the Chief Justice was unable to fulfill their request, the OSP stated in a social media statement in response to the request.
The OSP had justified their call for Justice Twum to be removed from cases involving their office by claiming that he had demonstrated bias against them and the Special Prosecutor.
On October 12, Justice Twum presided over the case; however, it had to be postponed while the Chief Justice’s response to the motion to remove him from the case was awaited. The former minister of sanitation, Cecilia Dapaah, is accused of not declaring her assets in this case.
Public Notice
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By a letter dated 25 October 2023, the Judicial Secretary informed The Special Prosecutor that, the Chief Justice is unable to accede to the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) request for his lordship Justice Edward Twum to be recused and removed from…— Office of the Special Prosecutor-Ghana (@ospghana) October 25, 2023
Due to their request that the judge recuse herself from all of the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s cases, the attorneys for the office did not show up in court. Legal proceedings have been delayed and disrupted as a result of this development.
The Chief Justice’s choice to retain Justice Twum on the case has sparked debates about the value of judicial independence and fairness in the legal system among the public and the legal community.
We are still awaiting further developments in this ongoing legal dispute regarding Cecilia Dapaah’s case.
Relatedly, Cecilia Dapaah’s five bank accounts no longer have their funds frozen by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
A press release issued on Monday, October 16 revealed this development. The order to freeze Ms. Dapaah’s other bank accounts and financial assets, however, is still in effect.
The Office of Special Prosecutions (OSP) launched an investigation into alleged offenses involving large sums of cash and valuables that were allegedly connected to Ms. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, in July 2023.
