Member of parliament from Kumbungu, Hamza Adam, claims that if the government had access to the vast sums of allegedly stolen money, including US$1 million, €300,000, and 350,000 Ghana cedis from the residence of Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the minister for sanitation and water resources, Ghana’s recent recourse to an IMF loan could have been avoided.
He contends that rather than the nation requesting financial aid from the international community, the aforementioned sum is sufficient to support the faltering economy.
“We all know it is illegal to keep such monies because if you look at the quantum of money that is alleged to be found in her residence, if we got such an amount of money, we didn’t need to go to the IMF,” he said.
Speaking in a media briefing after a Parliamentary sitting on July 21, 2023, he stressed the need to investigate all ministers currently serving the country. “That is also a wake-up call, which means we have to go down and investigate all ministers serving the country at the moment.”
He added “I think it is important that the minister, as a matter of urgency, relinquish her position as a minister because her continued stay may interfere with the prosecution processes. We demand that the minister clears the way by doing the ultimate thing, or the president must compel her to resign.”
The blatant thefts took place over a three-month period, from July to October 2022, at the couple’s home in the Accra district of Abelemkpe, according to an official charge sheet from an Accra Circuit Court. The defendants, Patience and Sarah, are being prosecuted on a number of counts of theft involving astonishing sums of money as well as a conspiracy to conduct a crime.
In addition to financial assets, the accused is also accused of stealing Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah’s personal items, including pricey clothing, handbags, perfumes, and jewelry. The stunning value of the stolen goods totaled 95,000 Ghana cedis and 95,000 US dollars.
Patience was accused of stealing cultural relics, including six pieces of Kente cloth valued GH$90,000 and six sets of gold jewelry, by herself.