Former Auditor General Daniel Domelevo is advising the public to avoid jumping to conclusions in the case involving Cecilia Dapaah, as investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) continue.
Domelevo said on JoyNews’ Newsfile that details about the case have been released prematurely. “They’re still investigating, and yet this information is already out,” he noted.
While Domelevo acknowledged the OSP’s transparency, he stressed that Ghanaians should exercise caution to avoid legal issues like contempt of court. He suggested that the OSP should consider keeping some details confidential until prosecutions officially start.
Domelevo pointed out that the OSP is a relatively new office without established precedents, and said mistakes should be expected and forgiven. He called for the public to give the OSP “room to breathe” to carry out its duties.
The former Auditor General also criticized the inefficiency of the assets declaration system. He argued that a more effective system could have aided the OSP’s investigation. “If assets had been properly declared and verified, it would’ve helped,” he said.
Domelevo also put forth the idea of implementing lifestyle audits for individuals holding public office as a forward-thinking measure to ensure greater accountability. He believes such audits would serve as a proactive way to scrutinize the financial dealings of public servants, potentially exposing any discrepancies between their declared assets and actual lifestyle, thereby acting as a deterrent to corruption or financial misconduct.
This recommendation from the former Auditor General comes in the wake of recent court filings by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which have cast a spotlight on a series of puzzling financial transactions.
According to these legal documents, there appears to be suspicious financial activity involving a bank account that belonged to Cecilia Dapaah’s deceased brother. The court papers raise questions about the origin of substantial sums of money, purportedly amounting to millions of cedis, that have not been satisfactorily accounted for by Dapaah.
The OSP’s disclosure of these financial anomalies is part of a broader investigative effort to ascertain the legitimacy of assets that are suspected to be tainted or ill-gotten and are currently linked to Dapaah.
The inquiry aims to either confirm or dispel allegations concerning Dapaah’s unexplained wealth, as part of the office’s mandate to root out corruption and uphold the rule of law.
SOURCE: Myjoyonline
