All three persons who were previously granted bail by an Accra Circuit Court for their role in the case in which a total of $1 million and several millions of Ghana Cedis were stolen from the residence of former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah and her husband, are struggling to meet the bail conditions set by the court.
Sarah Agyei, one of the former minister’s housemaid and Christiana Achab, were admitted to a GH¢1 million bail with three sureties each to be justified because they are both lactating mothers.
Job Pomary, on the other hand, was admitted to a GH¢300,000 bail with two sureties to be justified following an application filed by his counsel which was not opposed by the prosecution.
But all three are still in custody as they have not been able to meet the bail terms set by the court and were in handcuffs as they made their fifth appearance before the court yesterday.
That notwithstanding, the court presided over by Her Honour Afia Owusua Appiah, yesterday granted another suspect, Yahaya Sumaila a bail of GH¢300,000 with two sureties to be justified.
He was also ordered to deposit his passport with the court’s registrar as well as report to the police once every two weeks.
The court, however, refused an application for bail filed on behalf of Benjamin Sowah, because of his role in the theft and the manner in which he was arrested.
Meanwhile, the court is yet to hear an application filed on behalf of Patience Botwe, the lead suspect, as her lawyer had requested for a short adjournment to consider the prosecution’s affidavit in opposition to the bail application.
The court has also ordered the prosecution to expedite their investigation so that the trial can commence.
The court gave the order after the prosecution requested for two weeks’ adjournment because the investigators informed the Attorney General’s Office that they will need more time following the AG’s advice on the docket.
The prosecution was further directed to file all disclosures by September 19, 2023, which is the next court date.
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