….Says lady, Apostle Paul Adom-Otchere’s cemetery story collapsed
An angry Ghanaian lady, has been captured in a viral video calling on the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources to come clean and provide honest answers to the public, regarding her missing funds amounting to US$1 million, €300,000, and 350,000 Ghana cedis, which were reportedly stolen from her private residence in Accra.
This, follows Paul Adom-Otchere’s “Touch Screen analysis” on the Accra-based Metro TV that two dead relatives of the female politician, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, are the sources of US$800,000, out of the US$1 million, while the €300,000, belonged to her architect husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour.
He explained on the July 25 edition of his Good Evening Ghana show that the late brother, a sub-chief of the Asantehene, gave the money to their late mother, who also transferred the same to Cecilia Dapaah.
But the lady, who appears to know the late brother of the ex-Minister, whose name she gave as Nana Akwasi Essan II, as well as the rest of their family, doubted the substantial amount which belonged to him.
The lady explained that the late brother of the Minister was initially a shoemaker in Bantama before he ascended to the position of chief, and his eventual demise in 2022.
She questioned how the late chief, known for his modest means of living, couldn’t have amassed such a considerable amount of money.
She accused the minister of misleading ordinary Ghanaian citizens, asking her to reveal the truth behind the alleged missing funds and her late brother’s wealth.
“I didn’t want to comment on Cecilia Dapaah’s issue, but Aunty Cecilia so you’re saying your brother Kwaku Nantwi, who was a shoemaker at Bantama before being installed as chief until his demise, Nana Taluta, are you saying he was having millions of dollars? Eii, Aunty Cecilia, why don’t you tell the truth so that we will know the source of the money and all these issues can die down? So, if Kwaku Nantwi’s children hear about this that all the said monies belong to their father and they come to you for it, have they committed any offence?
“Sometimes when you are lying… we were living with your brother Kwaku Nantwi at Bantama, so madam what you are saying I don’t understand…but your brother Kwaku Nantwi are you sure he was having a million dollars, we saw him because we were living with him.”
Cecilia Dapaah, has since July 22 resigned her ministerial position and has been arrested and released on bail by the Special Prosecutor after a search was conducted at her residence.
Meanwhile, police have submitted the docket of the case of theft as reported by the minister and her husband to the Attorney-General for advice.
But The Herald’s information is that Mr Adom-Otchere, lied to divert attention from those seeking to know the source of the huge sums.
It was stressed that Cecilia Dapaah’s stinginess landed her in trouble. She had in a meeting with some senior Police officers spoken in Twi dialect, saying “sika no ye medie” to wit ‘the money is mine’.
The Police had sought to safeguard her political career, as well as the image of the Akufo-Addo government by asking her to let go of the money, citing how some Ghanaian politicians, have suffered such embarrassing thefts, but the ex-Minister remained adamant and went ahead speaking to senior government officials and selecting her own police officers of a certain ethnic persuasion to investigate the case for her, including getting the culprits arrested.
Interestingly, this paper has seen a memo from the office of the Information Minister, Vincent Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, saying that the “Minister has instructed that District Information Officers produce a situation report on public reaction to the Cecilia Dapaah matter”.
The report from the District Information Officers according to the Minister, which is under the following Report of suspected unexplained wealth, reaction to her resignation, reaction to the President’s statement in response to her resignation”.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah’s memo dated July 24, 2023 and mentioned as coming from “Info Analyst” set up in the Minister’s Office, asked that the “Tasks are to be completed by Wednesday, July 26, 2023”.
Mr Adom-Otchere, had referenced police complaint forms that the minister and her husband filed when they realised they have lost huge sums of money at their private residence in Accra.
According to the TV broadcaster who doubles as the board chairman of the Ghana Airports Company, a late brother of embattled former sanitation minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, left behind US$800,000, which was stolen along with her US$200,000 in a heist by two of her former house helps between July and October 2022.
“The US$800,000 was reported to the police and described to belong to Cecilia Dapaah’s brother… as is on the charge sheet. This 800,000 dollars is controversial because it doesn’t belong to Cecilia Dapaah and her husband.
“According to what Cecilia Dapaah wrote to the police which is what is in the charge sheet right now as I am speaking to you, and it was written months ago. It is for her brother who died months ago at the age of 60.”
Adom-Otchere also spoke extensively about the source of other cash sums stolen by the house maids.
Contrary to the official police charge sheet, that 300,000 euros also stolen belonged to the former minister, Adom-Otchere, said documents he had seen showed that it was declared as belonging to the husband.
He also posted details about the business interests of the architect husband, as well as the late brother before calling on the public to make a value judgement as to whether the said people had capacity to raise the said sums.
Mr Adom Otchere, has since been receiving bashing on social media by some angry citizens for trying to defend the former Minister of Sanitation.
The Host of Good Evening Ghana, has been described as a stomach journalist by some sections of Ghanaians.
Since the news of the stolen cash from the Abelenkpe house of Cecilia Dapaah surfaced on social media, questions have been asked on why she has that amount of money in her home.
But Paul Adom Otchere, whose main role as a broadcaster is supposed to inform and educate his audiences, chooses to be the unofficial spokesperson for the former minister.
According to some Ghanaians, Paul has now gone overboard with his comments trying to defend something which is bad.
Others also believe that he wouldn’t have said the same thing if it was the opposition NDC party led by John Mahama that was in power.
