On Thursday, October 12, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) submitted a petition to the Chief Justice, requesting the removal of Justice Edward Twum from Cecilia Dapaah’s case. The OSP argued in a Facebook post that the judge may hold prejudiced views against the institution, leading to the request for Justice Twum to either recuse himself or be reassigned from all cases involving the OSP.

The OSP further announced its decision to abstain from prosecuting the case until a different judge is assigned, stating, “Consequently, as it stands, the OSP would not and cannot be reasonably expected to be parties to proceedings before the said judge,” as mentioned in a social media post.

In response, the legal team representing former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah expressed disappointment at what they regarded as unethical conduct by the OSP in handling their client’s case. Victoria Barth, counsel for Cecilia Dapaah, criticized the OSP for failing to raise any previous concerns about the judge’s comments or behavior necessitating his recusal.

The case involves the anti-graft body’s application to secure court approval for the confiscation of approximately ¢2.8 million and $590,000 discovered at Cecilia Dapaah’s residence and the freezing of her bank accounts due to suspicions of these assets being tainted properties. The court had initially scheduled the confirmation hearing for October 18 but, in a recent development, rescheduled it to take place today, Thursday, October 12, following an application from Cecilia Dapaah’s legal team.