Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, has been arrested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
This was contained in a statement from the Office of the Special Prosecutor dated July 24, 2023.
This arrest comes in the wake of suspicions of corruption and corruption-related offences, revolving around the alleged theft of significant amounts of money and valuable items from her residence in Accra.
Ms. Dapaah’s resignation from her ministerial post, which occurred on July 22, 2023, set off a series of investigations into the reported theft that had caused shock and concern among the public.
Two of her house helps, Patience Botwe (18) and Sarah Agyei (30), were previously charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing, following the alleged incidents between July and October 2022.
During this period, items including assorted clothes worth GHC95,000, handbags, perfumes, and jewelry valued at $95,000 were said to have been stolen from the former Minister’s residence in the Abelemkpe area of Accra. Patience Botwe was also accused of stealing six sets of kente cloth worth GHC90,000 and six sets of men’s suits valued at $3,000, which belonged to Ms. Dapaah’s husband. Furthermore, three other individuals, including Botwe’s current and former boyfriends and her father, are also facing charges for allegedly being involved in dishonestly receiving GHC1 million, GHC180,000, and GHC50,000, respectively.
The arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor indicates the gravity of the situation and the determination of authorities to investigate the alleged corruption thoroughly.
As of now, the OSP indicated Cecilia Dapaah is undergoing questioning by authorized officers of the OSP to ascertain the facts surrounding the case.
