CJ declines OSP’s request for recusal of Justice Edward Twum

Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo is unable to accede to the request by the Office by the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to recuse Justice Edward Twum from all cases involving the OSP pending before him.

“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 all cases involving the OSP pending before him,” the OSP said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.  The OSP is asking the Chief Justice to do so because it believes that Justice Twum appears to be highly prejudiced against it and the person of the Special Prosecutor.“Consequently, as it stands, the OSP would not and cannot be reasonably expected to be parties to proceedings before the said judge,” it said.

Justice Twum is handling a number of cases involving the OSP, including the OSP’s investigation of the former Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.

The OSP is investigating the former minister for corruption and corruption related activities, after Ms Dapaah’s house helps stole large amounts of money, including foreign currencies from her residence.

Meanwhile, the cases of the OSP involving Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the former Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, has been adjourned to Wednesday, November 8, 2023.

This was awaiting the directives of the Chief Justice.

The OSP is in court over the declaration of assets by the former Minister.

The OSP is also before the same court with an application seeking to freeze the accounts of the former Minister for a second time.

The court had earlier on dismissed the OSP’s application on the freezing of the former Ministers assets.

The court held, among others that, the OSP filed the application out of time.