President Akufo-Addo has welcomed the resignation of Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
This was communicated by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, in a Facebook post on Saturday, July 22.
He wrote: “The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has accepted the resignation from office of Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah as Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources and member of Government.”
According to him, President Akufo-Addo applauded Hon. Cecilia Dapaah’s “loyalty to the image and standing of his Government, and thanked her also for her wholehearted contribution and devotion to the progress of Government and the Nation.”
“He wished her the best in all her endeavours,” Mr Eugene added.
Minister for Sanitation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, on Saturday stepped down from her position owing to pressure from National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament 48 hours after it was revealed that she had lost millions of dollars and cedis in her home.
Five individuals are facing charges for their alleged involvement in stealing millions of dollars and euros from Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah’s house.
At an Accra Circuit Court, Patience and Sarah are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing, which include amounts of US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana Cedis.
Clothes valued at GH¢95,000, handbags, perfumes, and jewelry worth US$95,000 were reportedly stolen as well.
According to the minister, what is being reported in the media regarding the looted cash has some “inconsistencies”. She made this known in a press statement dated July 21, ahead of her resignation on July 22.
In her resignation letter, Madam Dapaah reiterated her earlier position stating that “Whereas I can state emphatically that those figures do not represent correctly what my husband and I reported to the Police, I am very much aware of the import of such stories around someone in my position.”
After news broke that Madam Cecilia Dapaah had millions of dollars in her home, some Ghanaians questioned the means in which she acquired them.
This has prompted Madam Dapaah to resign as she does not “want this matter to become a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government at such a crucial time.”
She has assured of her willingness to cooperate fully with all state agencies to enable them fully establish the facts.
“I have no doubt whatsoever that at the end of the processes, it will be fully established that I have conducted myself with integrity during my period in public service and I will be fully exonerated from all the allegations that have filled the public domain in the past 24 hours,” she added.
Madam Dapaah also used the opportunity to thank President Akufo-Addo for the opportunity given to serve Ghanaians.
Meanwhile, the President will soon appoint a new Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources.