Cecilia Abena Dapaah: I will co-operate with state investigators
In her resignation letter to the president, Dapaah signalled her intention to co-operate with any investigation that may be launched into the disappearance of property from her home in Accra
The former minister of sanitation and water resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah says she will co-operate fully with state investigative agencies that she expects to mount an investigation into the circumstances leading to large amounts of money finding their way into her home and subsequently getting stolen by two househelps who worked there.
Ms Dapaah signalled her intention to co-operate with any investigation that may be launched in her 22 July 2023 resignation letter to President Akufo-Addo.
“Since yesterday, Friday July 21 2023, social and traditional media have been full of stories about a court case involving a theft that took place last year in the home I live with my husband and daughter.
“The stories sought to suggest that I own various huge sums of foreign currencies and millions of Ghana cedis which have been stolen from my home.
“Whereas I can state emphatically that those figures do not represent correctly what my husband and I reported to the police, I am very much aware of the import of such stories around someone in my position.
“I am resigning therefore because I do not want this matter to become a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government at such a crucial time,” the letter by Ms Dapaah read.
“I intend to co-operate fully with all state agencies to enable them fully establish the facts. I have no doubt whatsoever that at the end of the processes, it will be fully established that I have conducted myself with integrity during my period in public service and I will be fully exonerated from all the allegations that have filled the public domain in the past 24 hours.
“I thank you my dear, Mr President, for the honour done me in giving me the opportunity to serve our beautiful nation Ghana,” Ms Dapaah further said.
Acceptance
President Akufo-Addo promptly accepted the resignation of Ms Dapaah from office as minister of sanitation and water resources.
In a letter addressed to Ms Dapaah and dated 22 July 2023, President Akufo-Addo said he was confident that his former appointee will have her integrity intact after all possible investigations.
“I have received your letter, dated Saturday 22 July 2023, resigning from office as Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources and as a member of the government.
“It is with considerable regret that I accept your resignation, and I applaud your loyalty to the image and standing of the government,” President Akufo-Addo’s acceptance letter read.
“The work you undertook during your period in government was excellent and productive, and I thank you for your wholehearted contribution and devotion to the progress of the government and the nation.
“I am confident, like you, that, at the end of the day, your integrity, whilst in office, will be fully established. I wish you the very best in all your endeavours,” the president’s response said.
Investigations
It is expected that the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), whose mandate is to investigate and prosecute all cases of corruption and corruption-related offence, will take interest in this case to ascertain whether or not the former minister has committed any corruption or corruption related office while she was in office.
Noticeable inconsistencies
Before her resignation, Ms Dapaah issued a statement noting that the reportage on the stolen monies at her residence by two house helps is fraught with noticeable inconsistencies between what is being discussed in the public domain and the crux of the original complaint on the matter she filed.
“I refer to publications dated 21/8/2023 suggesting that I own one million dollars, three hundred thousand euros and millions of cedis which have been stolen in my house.
“There are noticeable inconsistencies between what is being discussed in the public domain and the thrust of the original complaint on the matter.
Theft case
News of five individuals charged with the offence of stealing various sums of money from the home of Ms Dapaah went viral following the publication of a front-page report by the Chronicle newspaper on Friday 21 July 2023.
Subsequently, an amended charge sheet for the case of the Republic versus Patience Botwe, Sarah Agyei, Benjamin Sowah, Kwaku Botwe and Malik Dauda emerged.
According to the charge sheet, the five accused are charged with ten counts of conspiracy to commit crime, to wit: stealing, contrary to Sections 23 (1) and 124 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29); stealing, contrary to Section 124 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act 1960; and dishonestly receiving, contrary to Section 146 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960.
Brief facts
According to the brief facts attached to the charge sheet, the complainants in the case are Daniel Osei Kuffour and his wife, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, who reside at Abelenkpe, Accra.
The first accused (A1), Patience Botwe (also known as Maabena) was a househelp to the complainants. The second accused (A2), Sarah Agyei, is currently unemployed and a former househelp to the complainants
The third accused (A3), Benjamin Sowah, is a boyfriend to A1. The fourth accused (A4), Kwaku Botwe, is A1’s father and the fifth accused (A5), Malik Dauda, is A1’s former boyfriend.
Some time in June 2023, the complainants reported a theft of cash and personal effects, as noted on the face of the charge sheet. Before then, A1, who was a househelp to the complainants, had been caught opening and entering the bedroom of the complainants with a duplicate key.
Upon intelligence, A1 and A3 were arrested at a hideout in Tamale in the Northern Region. A search of their room led to the discovery of US$40,000 and GHC72,619.70.
Police investigations showed that sometime in October 2022, the complainant Daniel Osei Kuffour returned from town and observed that the door to the bedroom he shares with his wife, which had been locked, was open. He also heard an unusual noise coming from the room.
He entered the room and found A1 hiding behind the door therein. Subsequently, the complainants detected thefts of the property listed on the face of the charge sheet.
Further investigations showed that A1 had used part of the stolen money to buy a three-bedroomed house in Amrahia, Accra, at a cost of US$70,000.
The following brand-new items which A1 used part of the stolen money to buy were also retrieved from the said house: one double-deck refrigerator, one television set, one washing machine, one chest freezer, one gas cooker and one water dispenser. Also discovered were related items.
A1 and A3 also confessed that they used some of the stolen money to buy a Hyundai Elantra with the registration number GE 9771-23 at a cost of GHC80,000. A1 also gave GHC180,000 to A3, who used the money to purchase an unregistered Honda Civic car with the plate number DV 4903-23. This has been retrieved by the police.
Investigations also disclosed that A1 and A3 used parts of the stolen money to rent a three-bedroomed apartment in Tamale at a total cost of GHC105,600 for a period of two years.
In addition, A1 and A3 used part of the stolen money to rent a storeroom in Tamale at a total cost of GHC120,000.
A1 admitted the offence and mentioned A2 as her accomplice, explaining that, when they were working in the complainants’ house, she used to keep watch of the main gate for A2 to go into the complainants’ room to steal money, after which they would share the spoils.
A2 was subsequently arrested from a hideout in Budumburam, a suburb of Kasoa, and began to assist the police investigation. Further questioning led to the discovery that A2 had used part of the stolen money to build a three-bedroomed, self-contained house in Budumburam.
A1 also gave GHC50,000 out of the stolen money to A4, who admitted this fact during interrogation. A2 further gave GHC100,000 out of the stolen money to A5, who also admitted this.
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
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