Former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah has given detailed accounts of monies stolen by her housemaids, who have been charged together with five others with stealing their funds.
She stated that the amount stolen includes $210,000, which is part of an amount of $800,000 that her elder brother, Henry Osei Kwabena, brought to her for safekeeping after her deceased brother Nana Akwasi Essan Il’s demise.
Additionally, $200,000 belonging to Dorcas Wiredua, a client and relative of her husband, and £300,000 belonging to her husband were stolen.
She also mentioned that GHC300,000, which was contributions made by her siblings and her towards their late mother’s funeral, and GHc50,000, her personal money, were stolen.
Apart from physical cash in various currencies – Ghana Cedis, United States Dollars, and Euros – a substantial number of her valuable clothes, kente cloths, dresses, skirt suits, blouses, handbags, lace fabrics, and perfumes were missing.
While testifying as the 3rd Prosecution Witness in the case, in which her two former maids, Patience Botwe and Sarah Agyei, together with five others – Benjamin Sowah, Malik Dauda, Christian Achab, Job Pomary, and Yahaya Sumaila – are standing trial for charges including stealing, she gave vivid accounts of properties stolen.
In her Witness Statement adopted by the Court as her Evidence-in-Chief, she stated, “I realized that a substantial number of my valuable clothes, kente cloths, dresses, skirt suits, blouses, handbags, lace fabrics, and perfumes were all missing. We also found out that huge sums of money had been stolen from our storeroom.”
“We also found out that huge sums of money had been stolen from our storeroom. This included an amount of $210,000 which belonged to my deceased brother Nana Akwasi Essan Il alias Charles Dapaah.
“The $210,000 was part of an amount of $800,000 that my elder brother Henry Osei Kwabena brought to me upon the instructions of our mother for safe keeping, after Nana Akwasi Essan Il’s demise,”
The former Minister also stated that, two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000USD) belonging to Dorcas Wiredua, a client and relative of my husband and three Hundred Thousand Euros (£300,000) belonging to my husband.
“Three Hundred Thousand Cedis (GHC300,000) being contributions that my siblings and I made towards the then upcoming final funeral rite of our late mother Nana Ode Nyarko II.
“Fifty Thousand (GHc50,000) being my personal money,” she told the Court.
The former Minister also told the Court that she knows Patience Botwe (1st Accused) alias Maa Abena and Sarah Agyei, the 2nd accused person, and Malik Dauda, the 4th accused person.
She stated that she got to know Patience Botwe through Malik Dauda, whom they have known for about twenty years.
Madam Cecilia Dapaah said they lived with Sarah Agyei for over five years as their house help. During that period, Sarah Agyei got pregnant in July 2022, and she noticed that she could not bend down to sweep their compound.
She therefore asked Malik Dauda to enquire from Patience Botwe if she was interested in coming to clean the compound, as she was unemployed at the time.
Patience Botwe accepted the offer and worked in their house for about three months but was sacked due to constant quarrels with Malik Dauda.
The former Minister warned Patience Botwe never to come back to their house.
However, in October 2022, she was bereaved and traveled to Kumasi, where she received a phone call from her husband that he had caught Patience Botwe in one of their bedrooms, which serves as their storeroom.
Her husband sent Patience Botwe to the Tesano Police Station to lodge a complaint. Upon returning home, she noticed that the storeroom had been ransacked, and some of their belongings and valuable possessions were missing.
missing valuables
The former Minister also stated that her jewelry, purchased over thirty-five years, valued at ninety-five thousand United States dollars ($95,000 USD), was missing.
The missing jewelry includes: 11 sets of earrings and pendants, which cost $3,000 USD, bringing the total value to $33,000 USD.
Others includes – Four gold bangles, which cost $3,500 USD each, totaling $14,000 USD, Fifteen gold earring sets, purchased at $1,000 USD each, totaling $15,000 USD, Diamond set earrings, pendants, and bangle bought at $9,500 USD and Twelve chains, which cost $2,000 USD each, totaling $24,000 USD.
Plea bargaining
Meanwhile, the two maids of former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Patience Botwe and Sarah Agyei, along with Benjamin Sowah, Malik Dauda, and Yahaya Sumaila, have submitted a plea bargaining request to the office of the Attorney General for consideration.
On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, the court, presided over by Justice Marie-Louise Simmons, gave directives to the parties to follow.
If accepted, the plea bargaining request would allow the accused persons to plead guilty in exchange for a lesser punishment.
Lawyers for Christian Achab and Job Pomary, the 5th and 6th accused, represented by Abdul Basit Adams, have subjected the former minister to cross-examination.
According to EIB Network’s Legal Affairs Correspondent, Murtala Inusah, the husband of Madam Cecilia Dapaah, Mr. Daniel Osei Kufuor, and his former driver, Nii Amon Ashie, have testified as the first and second prosecution witnesses.
Charges
On November 8, 2023, a new charged sheet was filed at the High Court which proffered some 31 counts, eight more than the 14 that were on the amended charged sheet which was withdrawn on November 8, at the Circuit Court.
The 31 new counts comprised of five counts of conspiracy, six counts of stealing, nine counts of dishonestly receiving and 11 counts of money laundering.
Patience Botwe, 18, hairdresser together with Sarah Agyei, 30, unemployed, Benjamin Sowah, 29, plumber, Malik Dauda,34, unemployed, Christiana Achab, a trader, Job Pomary, a mechanic, and Yahaya Sumaila, Excavator operator, were on a provisional 14 counts of Offences before it was withdrawn.
Despite being granted bail, they are still in lawful custody after failing to meet their respective bail conditions.
