Lead counsel for the prime suspect in the theft case of former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has alleged that no money, jewellery or personal items were stolen from the home of the former Minister.
Lawrence Boampong, while cross-examining Cecilia Dapaah, suggested that the former Sanitation Minister had contradicted the amounts she reported to the Police in 2023 as missing.
In 2023, Cecilia Dapaah reported that her house help, Patience Botwe, then 17 years old, had been caught by her husband in their bedroom at their Abelemkpe residence. Further investigations upon her arrest, Cecilia Dapaah averred, led to the discovery of over $1 million missing from their coffers.
Other items missing from their residence included $200,000 belonging to Dorcas Wiredua, a client and relative of her husband; £300,000 belonging to her husband; GH¢300,000 being contributions towards the then-upcoming final funeral rites of her late mother; and GH¢50,000 being her money.
In court on Friday, May 30, counsel for Patience Botwe, after citing an investigative caution statement the former Sanitation Minister gave at the behest of the Special Prosecutor, informed the court that Cecilia Dapaah amended the charge sheet to correlate with answers she had given at the OSP.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor questioned her about how she obtained $590,000, which was found in her home in November 2023.
According to Lawyer Boampong, Cecilia Dapaah had the charge sheet amended to $800,000 to suggest to the OSP that the $590,000 was the remainder of the money which had been stolen by her former house help, Patience Botwe.
But the former Sanitation Minister rejected the narrative, describing it as false. She explained that she just knew the charge sheet had been amended.
The lawyer further asserted that his client couldn’t have stolen the money from the home of the former Minister because the daughter of the couple also had access to the storeroom where the money was stored.
He suggested to the court that during the period the money was stolen, Cecilia Dapaah’s daughter, who was then in senior high school, was also home.
In her response, Cecilia Dapaah, however, explained that her daughter was in boarding school and was not yet home.
The lawyer then reminded the former Minister that in her witness statement, she had noted that the theft of her money had occurred over a long period.
“Lawyer Boampong: Apart from your husband, do you have anyone in your house who has access to where the monies are stored?
Dapaah: No
Lawyer Boampong: Do you have a daughter who you stayed with in your residence at the time of the alleged theft?
Dapaah: Yes, but she was in boarding school. (She’s in university now)
Lawyer Dapaah: Is it your case that your daughter came home between the period of July to October 2022
Dapaah: That isn’t right. I can’t check the time
Lawyer Dapaah: So you’ll agree with me that your daughter was at home between July and October 2022
Dapaah: I’m sorry, I can’t agree with that.
Lawyer Boampong: When your daughter is at home, does she have access to the room where the monies are kept?
Dapaah: Yes
Lawyer Boampong: I’m putting it to you that your daughter, your husband and yourself all had access to the room where the monies were kept.
Dapaah: No
Additionally, the lawyer told the court that a red Acura saloon car, which his client had been accused of using part of the alleged stolen money to buy, belonged to her elder brother. He suggested that the vehicle had been bought and registered in Patience Botwe.
“Lawyer Boampong: You have also alleged that a 2021 red Acura vehicle with registration number GE… belonging to A1 was purchased out of the alleged stolen monies.
Dapaah: I don’t know anything about a car
Lawyer Boampong: So, you’ll agree with me that you have no information as to how A1 bought the said car?
Dapaah: Through the investigations, it came out that some of the monies
Lawyer Boampong: Do you know any family member of A1?
Dapaah: The only family member is Malik through my husband. I later met her sister
Lawyer Boampong: I’m suggesting to you that the cars mentioned and the houses were all purchased by the elder brother of A1 in the name of A1 and not out of any alleged monies stolen in your residence.
Dapaah: That isn’t true”
The case has been adjourned to June 5, for lawyers of the seventh accused person to cross-examine the former Sanitation Minister.
