Metro TV journalist Paul Adom-Otchere, has rejected reports that the Office of Special Prosecutor found more money at the residence of former sanitation minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
This statement contradicts a report by Accra-based TV3 news network, which had earlier claimed that cash sums amounting to US$1 million, €300,000, and GHc350,000 were discovered at her residence.
During his show “Good Evening Ghana” on July 25, Adom-Otchere stated that checks conducted by his team with the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) revealed that no such money was found during their search on July 24. He further mentioned that the OSP denied the existence of any new stash of money as reported by TV3.
The news of the alleged missing funds came to light on July 21, 2023, when the Chronicle Newspaper broke the story, sending shock waves throughout Ghanaian society. It was reported that Cecilia Abena Dapaah, who was then the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, had lodged a formal complaint with the police, resulting in a charge sheet being prepared against two former employees (house helps) accused of stealing and dissipating some of the money.
The search for the missing money took place in 2022, but the case only recently went before the Accra Circuit Court. TV3’s reporter, Eric Mawuena Egbeta, cited sources within the Office of the Special Prosecutor claiming that a new stash of cash was found during the search at Dapaah’s residence, taking five hours to count.
While the news report mentioned that both Dapaah’s official residence at Cantonments and her private residence at Abelemkpe were searched, it did not specify which of the two residences had the alleged new sums of money.
Subsequently, some of Dapaah’s relatives have also been questioned regarding the missing funds, which led to her resignation from office and the ongoing probe by the OSP. On July 24, she was granted bail after being arrested and having her residence searched by officials from the Office of the Special Prosecutor.