Patience Botwe
An Accra Circuit Court has turned down a motion for bail filed on behalf of Patience Botwe, a former housemaid of Cecilia Dapaah and the prime suspect in the theft of huge sums of money in the home of the former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources.
This was as a result of her misconducting herself and jumping bail previously granted her by a juvenile court.
Patience Botwe and six other persons are before the court over the theft of $1 million and several millions of Ghana Cedis from the home of the former minister.
Her lawyer had applied for bail before the court, but the presiding judge, Her Honour Afia Owusuaa Appiah, on September 19, 2023, requested the Juvenile Court ‘C’ to make available records of proceedings on the accused.
The record was made available to the court yesterday and it indicated that Patience Botwe “flouted the Juvenile Court bail conditions and was not attending court.”
The records of proceedings also state that, although a bench warrant was issued for her arrest, it was not executed until the case was struck out.
It further added that Patience Botwe, on the date the case was struck out, was also absent from the court.
The Circuit Court in its decision on the motion for bail refused to grant it, holding that “having flouted the juvenile court’s orders, and not attending court, this court is not inclined to grant her bail.”
Meanwhile, the court has ordered the prosecution to conclude their investigations by the next court date so the pleas of the accused could be taken.
The court gave the order after the Prosecution led by Akosua Agyaponmaa Agyemang, an Assistant State Attorney, asked for adjournment to study the “voluminous” docket submitted to them by investigators.
Trial
Patience Botwe and Sarah Agyei, the two housemaids, are facing conspiracy to steal and substantive charges of stealing, while Benjamin Sowah, Malik Dauda, Christiana Achab, Job Pomary and Yahaya Sumaila, are facing charges of dishonestly receiving various sums of the stolen money.
The police on August 8, 2023, made mind-boggling discoveries of properties purchased by the seven persons dragged before court for stealing millions of Ghana Cedis and other foreign currencies from the home of former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah and her husband, Daniel Osei Kufuor.
The discovery includes an 11-unit chamber and hall self-contain house purchased at the cost of GH¢800,000 at Budumburam by Christiana Achab.
Court documents indicate that the accused, who hitherto was living in a wooden structure with her husband in the same locality as Patience Botwe, received a total of GH¢2.83 million from the loot that forced Madam Dapaah to resign following public outcry.
Christiana Achab, according to court documents, also purchased a three-bedroom house at Aplaku at the sum of GH¢300,000 for Patience Botwe.
She and her husband Job Pomary also purchased a four-bedroom apartment at Kokrobite at the cost of GH¢280,000 for herself, while she also invited another suspect, Yahaya Sumaila from Tamale in the Northern Region to Accra and purchased another three-bedroom apartment at Amrahia at the cost of GH¢850,000 in his name.
Christiana Achab, according to prosecuting documents, also purchased two Honda Acura vehicles at the cost of GH¢300,000 each and registered them in the name of Franklin Sarakpo, who is on the run.
This brings the total number of mansions bought with the stolen money to six, costing a total of GH¢2.23 million and $70,000 respectively.
The price of a three-bedroom mansion built by Sarah Agyei at Budumburam was not specified.
It also brings the total number of vehicles identified to four, costing a total of GH¢1.58 million, while two properties which were rented in Tamale cost a total of GH¢225,000.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak