In a riveting twist to the ongoing legal saga surrounding the alleged theft case involving Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the former Sanitation and Water Resource Minister, the purported mastermind, Patience Botwe, has been denied bail by an Accra Circuit Court.
The courtroom drama unfolded as the court, presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah, revealed that the 18-year-old Patience Botwe, a former house help of the ex-Minister, had jumped bail at Juvenile Court “C,” Accra, after being initially granted bail.
The court, unyielding in its decision, declared, “This court is not inclined to grant bail to the first accused person (Patience Botwe) because proceedings of the Juvenile Court C showed that she flouted the court bail, and a bench warrant was issued for her arrest. Even when the case was struck out in March this year, the accused person was not arrested despite the bench warrant. Bail application for the first accused person is refused.”
The shocking revelation came after the lawyer for the accused, Nana Addo Asrifi, sought bail for Patience, asserting that she had been granted bail at the Juvenile Court. This prompted the Circuit Court to direct its Registrar to investigate the proceedings at the Juvenile Court to verify the claims made regarding the accused’s bail.
The court, displaying a no-nonsense approach, further instructed the Prosecution to expedite their investigations so that the pleas of the accused persons could be heard on the next adjourned date. It also directed the Police to scrutinize the properties of the sureties presented by the accused persons to facilitate the execution of their bail.
Led by Assistant State Attorney Akosua Agyepomaa, the Prosecution informed the court of their reception of voluminous documents from the Police, intending to peruse them before taking any action. However, the delay caused by the Prosecution’s frequent adjournment requests raised concerns among some defence lawyers.
Expressing frustration, Mr J. K. Ntoni, representing two of the accused persons, questioned why the Prosecution kept seeking adjournments, emphasizing the potential impact on the freedom of the accused.
Defence counsels, earlier in the proceedings, highlighted the challenges their clients faced in executing their bail. Mr Raymond Felli, led by Mr Yaw Dankwah, revealed their recurrent visits to the Police station, stating, “They have been asking us to go and come back.”
Amidst the legal intricacies, the accused individuals, facing eleven charges related to stealing money and items from the residence of the former Minister, include Sarah Agyei, Christiana Achab, Job Pomary, Malik Dauda, Patience Botwe, Benjamin Sowa, and Yahaya Sumaila. Notably, Franklin Sarakpo is reported to be at large.