Authorities have detained two more suspects in the ongoing inquiries into the stolen money from the home of the former sanitation minister Cecilia Dapaah.
The case prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye, disclosed that two additional suspects had been detained in connection with the alleged theft of valuable items and money from the home of former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Abena Dapaah and her husband, Mr. Daniel Osei Kuffour, during a hearing at the Accra Circuit Court presided over by Judge Afia Owusu Appiah on August 2.
Patience Botwe, 18, and Sarah Agyei, 30, had already been charged with five counts of theft and conspiracy to commit a crime in connection with the case. In addition, Benjamin Sowah, Kwaku Botwe, and Malik Dauda were accused of receiving the allegedly stolen money dishonestly.
Patience Botwe and Sarah Agyei, the main suspects, were charged with stealing the personal items belonged to Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah. Numerous clothing items worth Gh95,000, handbags, perfumes, and jewelry worth US$95,000 were among the stolen goods.
In addition, it was claimed that Ms. Botwe had taken six pieces of Kente fabric worth GH$90,000 and six sets of men’s suits worth US$3,000 from the former minister’s husband.
All five defendants were not present during the court proceedings, and DSP Nyamekye explained that this was because the police investigators had gone to Tamale, which resulted in the arrest of the two new suspects and prevented them from bringing the five original defendants to court. He added that there were still open inquiries in that region.
Sarah Agyei had previously been granted bail by the court in the amount of GH$1,000,000 with two sureties, but for two weeks she had been unable to adhere to the bail requirements.
DSP Nyamekye requested a brief adjournment so that he could make final preparations after informing the court that the Attorney-General intended to take over the prosecution of the case.
The court, however, turned down the defense attorney’s request for the new suspects’ release on bail. Following the adjournment, the case was rescheduled for August 8, 2023, with an instruction to the prosecution to make sure that all defendants, including the new suspects, appear in court on the rescheduled date.
The court emphasized the significance of the defendants’ participation in the proceedings in order to ensure a fair and open trial.
The public awaits new developments in this high-profile theft case involving former Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah and her husband as the investigation goes on and the Attorney-General takes over the case.
