GII and GACC call for transparency in Cecilia Dapaah’s theft case

Recap:

Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah who resigned her post on Saturday as the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, has been placed under arrest by the Office of Special Prosecutor for suspected corruption and corruption-related offences.

Her arrest is in relation to the alleged large sums and personal properties stolen from her Abelempke home in Accra for which five people are standing trial.

A statement issued by the the OSP said “Ms. Dapaah is being questioned by authorised Officers of the OSP.”

Following media reports of an ongoing criminal trial of the five suspects for the missing millions, there have been a wave of calls for the arrest and investigation of Abena Dapaah to ascertain the source of the large sums of money.

Two house helps, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei, along with three others allegedly stole $1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghanaian cedis being the monies and personal effects of Abena Dapaah and her husband, between the months of July and October 2022.

End Recap:

 

The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) have called for a transparent and comprehensive investigation into the alleged theft of substantial amounts of money and personal effects from the home of former Minister of Sanitation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.

The groups expressed concern about the source and intended use of the funds, which reportedly include US$1 million, €300,000, and unspecified millions of Ghanaian cedis.

“It seems unconscionable to think of a public officer and a renowned political personality keeping such
colossal amounts of money outside of the banking sector,” the groups said in a statement.

They also called for the immediate passage of the Conduct of Public Officer’s Bill, which would strengthen Ghana’s asset declaration regime.

“The Conduct of Public Officer’s Bill has been in front of Cabinet for more than a year without no clear commitment to having it laid before parliament for consideration and passage,” the groups said.

They also called for strengthening the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 2003 (Act 646) to provide for the reverse burden of proof in addressing illicit enrichment.

“What this case brings to the fore is that, the time has come in Ghana for the government to enact laws that will strengthen the Criminal Offences, Act 1960 (Act 29) and other anti-corruption laws to include reverse burden of proof in addressing illicit enrichment,” the groups added.

They urged President Nana Akufo-Addo to take a decisive action in addressing alleged corruption cases and “back his rhetoric on fighting corruption in Ghana by expelling the popular perception of interferences in corruption investigations, involving persons in his government.”

The groups’ call for transparency comes after Dapaah’s resignation from her ministerial position on July 22, 2023. She is currently being investigated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

Click here to read the full statement