Police submit docket on two house helps stealing cash and items from former Sanitation and Water Rresources Minister Cecilia Dapaah and husband Daniel Oseip-Kuffuor to the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
Police submit docket
According to a police statement signed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director of Police Public Affairs said following investigations suspects were arrested, some of the stolen items recovered and suspects arraigned before court.
Information indicates that the Attorney General’s office became aware of the issue after the matter hit public domain when the charge sheet filed in court on July 20, 2023 was published by the media.
The Attorney General’s office is expected to go through the details of the police investigations and offer advice on the direction of the case.
The Attorney General’s office is likely to ask the police to expand the scope of investigations to cover original source of the money stolen by the house helps.
The former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources resigned from her position on Saturday, July 22, after reports emerged that she had stashed huge sums of money in her home, part of which had been stolen by two house helps who are now facing prosecution alongside three other accomplices.
According to the charge sheet, the two house helps, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei allegedly stole $1 million, €300,000 and over five hundred thousand cedis between July and October 2022.
Clothes, handbags, perfumes, jewellery, kente cloth and suits belonging to Mrs. Dapaah’s husband said to be worth thousands of dollars, are alleged to have been stolen as well.
The 68-year-old disputes the figures given in the court document but did not provide any counter figgures.
The stash of huige cash especially foreign currencies outraged many Ghanaians who questioned why a minister is keeping such huge sums of money at home.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor which is also investigating the source of the money is said to have stumbled upon “something significant” during a search of the private home of the former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah.
In view of this, she has been served with the declaration of income and property forms, indicating the seriousness of the allegations against her.
As part of the ongoing investigation Mrs Dapaah’s relatives will be questioned because she is said to have told investigators that parts of the money belonged to them.
Due to the information received, the OSP extended the investigation to cover the mentioned relatives to establish the truth.
Madam Dapaah, who was arrested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), late Monday evening was subsequently granted bail at approximately after 10pm with surety.
Earlier on Monday, July 24, 2023, Madam Dapaah was taken to her official residence in Cantonments, where OSP officials executed a thorough search. Following this, her Abelemekpe residence was also searched by agents of the Special Prosecutor.
Madam Dapaah is confident of promised to cooperate fully with all state agencies to enable them fully establish the facts.
“I have no doubt whatsoever that at the end of the processes, it will be fully established that I have conducted myself with integrity during my period in public service and I will be fully exonerated from all the allegations that have filled the public domain in the past 24 hours,” she added.
