It could be funeral donation monies – Ga West MCE on Cecilia Dapaah's 'stolen cash'

The Municipal Chief Executive Officer of the Ga West Municipality, Clement Nii Lamptey Wilkinson, has said that the stolen US$1m, €300K, GH¢350k from Cecilia Dapaah's residence could have been funds from funeral donations.

According to him, the Minister of Sanitation for about a year now has lost two of her relatives and as a result, such huge amounts of money could be from the donations people gave to her during the funeral.

Speaking on Accra-based UTV, he said, “Someone was asking why she has such an amount of money in her room. You see, for about a year now, mama Cecilia Dapaah has lost two relatives; her big brother died and we went for the funeral as well as her mother.”

Mr. Wilkinson contends that usually, the boxes used to collect funeral donations are not transparent like the normal ballot boxes we see during election time, adding that it could be possible that a company Cecilia Dapaah works with gave her 2 million dollars during the funeral.

He said; “When my brother was speaking, he mentioned that she has gone to work for a company for 40-something million dollars and that the company has also taken 40-something million dollars. I really cannot tell but maybe at the funeral grounds, the company alone donated $2 million as their funeral contribution.”

To buttress his point, the MCE argued that, “on a business schedule, when someone goes to keep money in her room, until we see the source of that money, we cannot say that the person has stolen government assets. That is what I want to say,” he added.

Listen to his comments below:

The stolen money from Cecilia Abena Dapaah's residence could be funds from funeral donations - Clement Wilkinson #UTVGhana pic.twitter.com/npp4HnMbjB

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) July 22, 2023

Background:

Two house helps, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei, are currently facing charges before an Accra Circuit Court for their alleged involvement in the theft of significant sums of money and personal belongings belonging to Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour.

According to a report by The Chronicle, the thefts, which amount to millions of Ghana Cedis, reportedly took place at the couple's residence in Abelemkpe, a suburb of Accra, between July and October 2022.

The accused, Patience and Sarah, are facing one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing, involving amounts of US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana Cedis.

During the same period, the pair allegedly stole personal effects from Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, including assorted clothes valued at GH¢95,000, handbags, perfumes, and jewelry valued at US$95,000.

Further accusations involve Patience acting alone to steal six pieces of Kente cloth worth GH¢90,000 and six sets of men's suits valued at US$3,000, which belonged to the minister's husband.

The court also charged three additional individuals in connection with the thefts.

Benjamin, a 29-year-old plumber, has been accused of dishonestly receiving GH¢180,000, while Kweku Botwe, a 65-year-old trader, faces charges for dishonestly receiving GH¢50,000. Additionally, Malik Dauda, a 23-year-old unemployed individual, is alleged to have dishonestly received GH¢1 million.

All five accused individuals appeared before an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Judge Susana Ekuful on Thursday, July 20, 2023. However, their pleas have not yet been taken.

Of the accused, Sarah has been granted bail in the sum of GH¢1 million, with two sureties required to deposit their Ghana cards with the court's registrar.

It was clarified that the bail conditions are subject to review by the substantive judge as Judge Susana Ekuful was serving as a relief judge at the time.

In her briefing, Judge Susana Ekuful revealed that Patience, along with her alleged boyfriends and father, has been remanded into lawful custody. However, Sarah was granted bail due to being a breastfeeding mother.

According to the prosecution, Patience, also known as Maabena, previously worked as a house help for the complainants, Daniel Osei Kuffour and his wife, Cecilia Abena Dapaah. Sarah, too, was a former house help for the couple.

The alleged thefts came to light in June of the current year when the complainants reported the incidents to the police after discovering missing cash and personal belongings.

Patience was caught in the act, having opened and entered the couple's room using a duplicate key. She was apprehended by Mr. Kuffour upon his return home, having noticed the room was unlocked and hearing unusual noises from inside.

Further investigations revealed the stolen items and the money in possession of Patience and her associates.

The accused allegedly used the stolen funds to finance various properties and purchases, including renting a 3-bedroom apartment and a store in Tamale, buying vehicles, and funding other personal expenses.

The court has adjourned the case to August 2, 2023, while investigations continue.

VKB/WA