Cecilia Dapaah’s former domestic help granted access to the inquiry’s evidence following a court order

Cecilia Dapaah is a former Minister of Hygiene

The Accra High Court has ordered the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to caution its investigation and charge sheet against Patience Botwe, the first defendant in the case involving former Minister of Hygiene, Cecilia Dapaah and her husband.

The ruling follows an application filed by Patience Botwe, former domestic help of Cecilia Dapaah, who asked for access to these documents, claiming that they are crucial to her defense, reports myjoyonline.com.

Botwe’s legal team stressed the importance of these testimonies for the hearing of key witnesses, Dapaah and her husband. They had earlier tried to obtain the documents on the basis of an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, but the OSP rejected the application, arguing that the information was exempt.

Botwe’s lawyers then asked the Supreme Court to intervene to secure materials necessary for her defense.

Judge Marie-Louis Simmons, presiding over the case, emphasized the court’s responsibility to ensure a fair trial, dismissing OSP’s objection that Botwe’s motion was premature and that the court’s jurisdiction had not been invoked, reports myjoyonline.com.

Judge Simmons emphasized the importance of providing the accused with access to relevant documents, citing Art. 19 section 2 letter e) point g) of the Constitution of 1992, which guarantees the accused the right to adequate preparation of his defense.

In her ruling, Judge Simmons also noted the importance of providing Botwe with charge sheets for a thorough hearing of Cecilia Dapaah, especially given the discrepancies in their accounts regarding the source of the stolen funds.

Although Botwe was granted access to the investigation and briefings, she was denied access to recordings and transcripts of interrogations and interrogations of Dapaah and her husband.

MAG/OGB

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