Ghanaians are yet to get over the revelation that huge sums of money are lying in the residence of former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah.
Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, are reported to have been robbed by two of their house helps in their home in Abelemkpe, Accra.
Seven accused persons are standing trial for the theft case.
They are Patience Botwe, 18, hairdresser; Sarah Agyei, 30, unemployed; Benjamin Sowah, 29, plumber; Malik Dauda, 34, unemployed; Christiana Achab, a trader; Job Pomary, a mechanic; and Yahaya Sumaila, an excavator operator. They are facing 14 counts of conspiracy, stealing, and dishonestly receiving.
The case came to light in July and the matter is being investigated by the Police and the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Initial comments from some Ghanaians questioned why the former minister had kept such amount in her home. Authorities are currently investigating the source such money.
However, some Ghanaians have already pronounced Madam Cecilia Dapaah guilty.
Engaging the media, a middle-aged woman accused Ghanaian politicians of starching monies under their beds, preventing the ordinary Ghanaian from having funds to take up lucrative ventures that will grow the economy.
“The monies under your beds and polythene bags, God will judge you. So now when you go to the banks, there are no funds,” she bemoaned.
“Why, what have we done you,” she quizzed.
New findings in Cecilia Dapaah’s theft case
A recent report by JoyNews shed light on new documents indicating a comprehensive investigation conducted by the police in 2022.
According to these documents, on October 4, 2022, Cecilia Dapaah issued a warning to a member of her domestic staff, cautioning them against accessing specific rooms within the residence during their employment.
Despite this warning, on October 6, 2022, the staff member breached these instructions and was apprehended by Dapaah’s husband, Daniel Kuffuor.
Subsequently, Kuffuor reported the incident to the Tesano Police Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit, initiating an official complaint.
Upon Dapaah’s return on October 10, she conducted an inventory to identify the missing items from her room. The items included Kente cloth, women’s clothing, jewelry, and an undisclosed sum of money.
Subsequently, the police gathered a statement from the young suspect and proceeded to file appropriate charges. Later, on October 26, 2022, the suspect was presented before the Circuit Court. However, due to inconsistencies in determining her age, she was released and subsequently re-apprehended, with fresh charges being pressed in the Juvenile Court.
In spite of the initial charges being relatively minor, such as unlawful entry and entering premises for unlawful purposes, the suspect faced more serious accusations, including the theft of unspecified funds, as per the documented list of missing items.
Curiously, the obtained documents did not make reference to the alleged theft of 1 million dollars, suits, and other sums in Ghana cedis.
These allegations came to light in court filings against the same suspect and four accomplices in July 2023, all related to the original theft that took place in October 2022.