Former General Secretary of the People’s National Convention, Bernard Mornah, has made allegations that Cecilia Dapaah, the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, was compelled to resign from her position.
Mr Mornah claimed that individuals close to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, including Eugene Arhin, the Director of Communications at the Office of the President, have been implicated in more serious crimes but have not been removed from their positions.
In an interview on UTV on Monday, July 24, 2023, Mr Mornah expressed his shock at the amount of money stolen at Cecilia Dapaah’s home, suggesting that she would still be in office if she had been closer to the presidency.
“What is more painful in all of this is that this woman was forced to resign. Euguene Arhin works at the presidency; do you remember the confusion between him and his wife? Do you know the list of assets the woman (Euguene Arhin’s wife) listed?
“Just two of those assets alone exceed the amount of money that has been stolen, for which reason this woman’s resignation was put before her to sign.
“So, it is evident that if you are close to the president, you cannot be forced to resign, but if you are not close to the president, you can be forced to resign,” he said in Twi.
Click on the hyperlink to access the said interview.
Cecilia Dapaah resigned following the discovery that she and her family had lost significant amounts of money and valuable items during a robbery at her residence. The court documents indicated that US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana Cedis were stolen, along with assorted clothes valued at GH¢95,000 and handbags, perfumes, and jewelry valued at US$95,000.
After her resignation, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) arrested Dapaah, suspecting her of corruption and corruption-related offenses in connection with the stolen money and items. Two house helps, Patience Botwe (18) and Sarah Agyei (30), were previously charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing for their alleged involvement in the incidents between July and October 2022.
During the same period, additional items, including six sets of kente cloth worth GHC90,000 and six sets of men’s suits valued at $3,000, belonging to Dapaah’s husband, were reported stolen.
Moreover, three other individuals, including Botwe’s current and former boyfriends and her father, are facing charges for allegedly receiving dishonestly sums of GHC1 million, GHC180,000, and GHC50,000, respectively.
The arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor emphasizes the seriousness of the matter and the authorities’ commitment to conducting a thorough investigation into the alleged corruption.