….Now admits ownership of huge cash
The Attorney General department, which is now handling the Cecilia Dapaah’s stolen millions, have amended its charge sheet again, this time running away from the money belonging to her dead brother and identifying her as the actual owner of the colossal amounts in several currencies, including the United States Dollars, Euros and Ghana cedis.
US$800,000 out of the US$1 million stolen from the Minister’s Abelemkpe home in Accra, was said to belong to one Nana Akwasi Essan II, Numuahene to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and a brother of Madam Dapaah, who died in January 2022, but a new charge sheet has since pop up, saying the US$1 million now belongs to her.
The 300,000 Euros also belongs to her contrary to reports that part of the money belongs to her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour.
Before the matter became public, the narrative had been that the huge sums belonged to her, but the story changed that her late brother and late mother were the owners of the sums.
Prior to this, the huge sums were also mentioned as funeral donations until Paul Adom Otchere brought in her late brother as the owner. The Attorney General was to capture this in his statement to the public, but that has now changed again to the sums being “the property of Cecilia Dapaah” on the amended charge sheet.
Many are saying the ex-Minster is afraid that, Irene Kensah, the widow of her late brother, will take the money from her, if she comes to lead the claim that the money belongs to the dead man. What this means is that she reverts to the earlier situation of having to prove to Ghanaians where and how she acquired the huge sums.
The change of the charge sheet comes as a Circuit Court in Accra, has remanded five of the accused persons in the Cecilia Dapaah case and granted bail to two lactating mothers to the tune of GH¢1 million each with three sureties to be justified.
Two house helps of the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, are before an Accra Circuit Court, for allegedly stealing the various sums and items running into millions of Ghana Cedis.
The said monies were allegedly stolen from the couple’s house at Abelemkpe, a suburb of Accra, in the Greater Accra Region.
18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei, allegedly stole the monies and personal effects of the couple, between the months of July and October 2022.
The first accused, Patience, also had her current and former boyfriends, as well as her father, all being dragged before the same court.
Madam Dapaah, resigned from her position after a public uproar and demands for her to leave the government for allegedly illegally acquiring and storing the funds.
Meanwhile, three more persons have been arraigned in addition to four others who were initially charged with counts of stealing and dishonestly receiving monies stolen from their home, while one other person who is of interest to the investigations is said to be on the run.
This brings to eight the number of people standing trial currently.
The court, however, discharged Kwaku Botwe, father of the first accused person, Patience Botwe, who was initially charged with the offence of dishonestly receiving.
These were made known to the court after police prosecutors substituted the charge sheet based on the advice of the Attorney General.
The police prosecutor, revealed that charges against the father of Patience Botwe were dropped, following the advice of the Attorney General, Godfred Dame.
Kwaku Botwe, was previously charged with dishonestly receiving after he was accused of receiving GH¢50,000 out of the stolen money from his daughter.
Mr Botwe, however, in his caution statement noted that he only received GH¢10,000 from his daughter and was not aware that it was stolen money.
Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame after analysing the case against Mr Botwe, concluded that there is not enough evidence to sustain a charge of dishonest receiving. Based on this, his name was excluded from the new charge sheet and was therefore discharged by the court.
The police prosecutor, further revealed that based on the advice of the Attorney General to broaden the scope of investigation, three more persons have been arrested while one person is at large.
The three new arrests are Christiana Achab, Job Pomary, Yahaya Sumail. The person at large is one Franklin Sarakpo.
According to the facts of the case against the three new arrests and the one at large, the first accused (Patience Botwe) gave unspecified amounts of dollars to her brother identified as Joe, who parted some of the stolen money to Christiana Achab, who was living in a wooden structure in the same neighborhood as the first accused person.
Christiana Achab is said to have received over GH¢2 million of the stolen money, purchased an eleven-unit chamber and hall self-contain house at Budumburam at the cost of GH¢800,000 for herself.
She is also alleged to have purchased a three-bedroom at Aplaku at the cost of GH¢300,000 for A1 (Patience Botwe).
Christiana Achab and Job Pomary are also alleged to have purchased a four-bedroom house at Kokrobite at the cost of GH¢280,000 for Christiana Achab.
Christiana Achab is further accused of contacting A7, Yahaya Sumaila, and purchased a three-bedroom self-contain house at Amrahia at the cost of GH¢850,0000 in the name of Yahaya Sumaila.
Christiana Achab the fifth accused person, is said to have also purchased two Honda Acura vehicles at the cost of GH¢300,000 each registered in the name of A8, Franklin Sarakpo, who is stated to be at large and A1, Patience Botwe.
Prosecution prayed the court to further remand the accused persons as investigations were still ongoing.
But the defence team opposed this on grounds that the continuous detention of their clients will be against their rights as the prosecution has not even proved that the accused when granted bail will interfere with investigations.
Lawyers of A2 (Sarah Agyei) and A5 (Christiana Achab) urged the court to grant their clients bail as they are lactating mothers. The judge granted bail to the two lactating mothers and remanded the rest.
The bail conditions for the two lactating mothers are set to the tune of GH¢1 million each, with three sureties each to be justified. The three sureties according to the court are expected to deposit their passports and Ghana cards with the court registry and not to leave the jurisdiction of the court.
The case has been adjourned to August 22.
Other media outlets reports that the grand scheme by Cecilia Dapaah and his accomplices to pin the $800,000 on Cecilia Dapaah’s late brother seem to be falling apart.
Cecilia Dapaah’s late brother’s wife was the first to speak up, claiming in an interview that she was unaware her late husband had shared such a large sum of money with the former minister of sanitation and water resources.
The widow of Cecilia Dapaah’s deceased brother, claimed she has now hired a lawyer to make sure the money is returned to her.
Other neighbours, who knew the late chief and went by the name “Nana Antwi” have come forward to clear his identity.
Grace Loki, who claims to know Cecilia Dapaah personally, is one of these neighbours.
Madam Loki, claims that her support for Cecilia Dapaah’s late brother is based on the fact that she knew him personally and wouldn’t keep quiet while Cecilia Dapaah dragged his reputation through the mud in an effort to explain her unexplained wealth.
“It hurts me that a man who is dead and gone has been dragged into this scandal by his own sister Cecilia Dapaah. We are not to speak ill of the dead, so I would not sit idle for Cecilia Dapaah to destroy her brother’s name. I need to explain for people to understand why I am determined to prove Cecilia Dapaah is lying”
According to the neighbour of Cecilia Dapaah’s deceased brother, it is unfair for Cecilia Dapaah to smear her late brother with lies.
The woman in the US, Grace Loki, said “there’s no way on planet earth will someone with US $1 million, short fuel and I would send him money”
“With all due respect, if Kwaku Nantwi had money, he would not have short fuel for me to go over and buy him fuel” I know for a fact he didn’t have that money. There’s no one with $800,000, sitting in a box who whose fuel would ran out at Santase roundabout”
“Kwaku Nantwi was a shoe-maker who lived with us across the street and would sometimes short fuel at Santase roundabout”
Grace recounted how the late Nana kwaku Nantwi, was a good shoe maker they all used when he was alive.
“Kwaku Nantwi was a good shoe-maker for second hand shoes. He could glue your shoes nicely for you”. So Yes I would say he was good, because it wasn’t common back then to see shoe makers repair second hand shoes’
Grace Loki, has also gone on to file a petition with US authorities, Madam Loki, said she took the decision because she has more confidence in the US institutions to conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter than the Ghanaian government.
Grace Loki, made the revelation in an interview with OBGhPage’s Facebook Live, Loki believes the money smells of money laundering and she would want to ensure that if the former minister owns any property in the US, it undergoes investigation by the IRS and appropriate taxes are paid. She argued that everyone, even those who win lotteries, are required to pay taxes under US laws.
Cecilia Dapaah, recently resigned as Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, when it became public that US$1 million, €300,000, and GH¢350,000 have been stolen by her domestic staff, money she kept in her home.
Even though, the case is still being investigated by the office of the Special Prosecutor, the Attorney General, has also revealed it had taken over the case.
