On Tuesday, August 8, 2023, a court session dealt with the case of seven individuals who are facing charges related to the alleged theft and illegal receipt of funds taken from the residence of former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, in Abelemkpe.
A revised charge sheet was presented to the court, outlining the properties that have been recovered from the main suspects. Additionally, three new individuals were included as accused parties, while one person was acquitted from the charges.
Police investigators revealed that four additional houses, believed to have been purchased with the stolen funds, have been discovered, along with two new Honda cars (Acura), valued at over GHc600,000 Ghana cedis.
These recent findings add to the properties that were already alleged to have been found in locations like Amrahian and Tamale.
The list of accused individuals now stands as follows: Patience Botwe, 18, hairdresser; Sarah Agyei, 30, unemployed; Benjamin Sowah, 29, plumber; Malik Dauda, 34, unemployed; Christiana Achab, a trader; Job Pomary, a mechanic; and Yahaya Sumaila, an Excavator operator. They collectively face 14 charges, including conspiracy, stealing, and dishonestly receiving.
The charges stem from the alleged theft of $1 million dollars, £300,000 euros, and other properties, including Kente cloth.
Nursing mothers Sarah Agyei and Christiana Achab were each granted bail of one million cedis, subject to justification by three sureties. The sureties are also required to deposit their Ghana Cards with the court’s registrar and refrain from traveling outside the jurisdiction.
The remaining accused individuals – Patience Botwe, Benjamin Sowah, Malik Dauda, Job Pomary, and Yahaya Sumaila – have been remanded into lawful custody. This decision followed a request from the Prosecution led by DSP Emmanuel Nyamekye, who sought remand for further investigations.
The defense lawyers, however, argued that their respective clients are considered innocent until proven otherwise.
The Prosecution informed the court that the Attorney General’s office will take over the case docket once full investigations are completed.
Lawyers representing the nursing mothers are required to provide evidence to support their assertion, while a six-month-old baby under the care of a caregiver was presented to the court.
The eighth accused individual, Franklin Sarakpo, is currently at large.
Kweku Botwe, the father of Patience Botwe and one of the previously arraigned individuals, was discharged following advice from the Attorney General’s Office.
The case, presided over by Her Honour Afia Owusuaa Appiah, has been adjourned to August 22, 2023.
—ghanaweb
