Cecilia Dapaah
The Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame has tasked the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service to investigate the ownership of the US$200,000 and €300,000 stolen from the home of the Former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
In a statement cited by DGN Online, the Attorney-General says the former Minister, Abena Dapaah did not mention the owner of the cash.
The A-G’s observation is coming after the Police forwarded a docket to his office on July 24, 2023 for review and advice after the former Minister’s two house helps were charged alongside other accomplices.
The charge sheet stated the pair, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei have allegedly stolen US$1 million, €300,000 and millions of Ghana cedis between July and October 2022.
However, the AG was to consider amongst other things the charges levelled against the persons accused of stealing the monies, and issues about the investigation into the source of the money considering the quantum reported to have been stolen from the former Minister’s home.
The A-G also called on the police to conduct an investigation into the ownership of the US$200,000 and €300,000 said to have been stolen, and the source of the money.
The A-G further called for an investigation into the $800,000 belonging to Madam Dapaah’s deceased brother and the GHS300,000 contribution towards her mother’s funeral contained in a box, and a bag that was stolen to ascertain the following:
i. The true ownership of the amount of US$800,000.
ii. The source(s) from which the established owner of the amount of US$800,000 acquired the money.
iii. Whether the accused stole the full amount of US$800,000 from the house of the complainants.
It was also established that Madam Cecilia Dapaah did not indicate who the amounts of $200,000 and €300,000 stolen from the room belonged to.
Additionally, the total of all the sums retrieved from the accused together with the value of properties acquired does not appear to amount to the sum reported by the complainants as having been stolen.
“The police need to conduct estimations into i. The ownership of the US$200,000 and €300,000. ii. The source(s) from which the established owner(s) of the amounts of US$200,000 and €300,000, acquired the money. iii. Broaden the investigations on money laundering and other financial crimes to cover the complainants” the A-G stated.
Below is the full statement:
BY Daniel Bampoe