A private legal practitioner, Alexander Twum-Barimah, has slammed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his comments regarding the brouhaha surrounding the theft of US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana Cedis in cash from the home of the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah.
Speaking in an interview on UTV, on Monday, monitored by GhanaWeb, could not believe that Akufo-Addo said that Cecilia Dapaah severed with integrity while accepting her resignation from her ministerial position over the matter.
He added that if he had his way President Akufo-Addo’s term as president would be wiped from the history of Ghana.
“It is very irrational for a minister who is supposed to be an example, to keep such an amount of money in her private residence, in her bedroom. And when people are talking about it, you get your president, our president telling us the minister served with integrity, really.
“As for Nana Akufo-Addo, he has become the biggest nightmare of every Ghanaian in this country. If we could, we have to wipe off his tenure from our history, just as the Supreme Court asked Parliament to do for Gyakye Quayson, we must do it.
“Because I cannot just imagine that a leader who is leading people who are engaging themselves in malfeasance, wrongdoings, but this man always comes to make pronouncements that seem to endorse their acts,” he said in Twi.
He added that while the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources set up a committee to investigate allegations of illegal mining in a forest reserve, the president came out to say that the persons involved had done nothing.
Meanwhile, the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources has been arrested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
This was contained in a statement from the Office of the Special Prosecutor dated July 24, 2023.
This arrest comes in the wake of suspicions of corruption and corruption-related offences, revolving around the alleged theft of significant amounts of money and valuable items from her residence in Accra.
Dapaah's resignation from her ministerial post, which occurred on July 22, 2023, set off a series of investigations into the reported theft that had caused shock and concern among the public.
Two of her house helps, Patience Botwe (18) and Sarah Agyei (30), were previously charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing, following the alleged incidents between July and October 2022.
During this period, items including assorted clothes worth GHC95,000, handbags, perfumes, and jewellery valued at $95,000 were said to have been stolen from the former Minister's residence in the Abelemkpe area of Accra.
Patience Botwe was also accused of stealing six sets of kente cloth worth GHC90,000 and six sets of men's suits valued at $3,000, which belonged to Dapaah's husband.
Furthermore, three other individuals, including Botwe's current and former boyfriends and her father, are also facing charges for allegedly being involved in dishonestly receiving GHC1 million, GHC180,000, and GHC50,000, respectively.
The arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor indicates the gravity of the situation and the determination of authorities to investigate the alleged corruption thoroughly.
As of now, the OSP indicated Cecilia Dapaah is undergoing questioning by authorized officers of the OSP to ascertain the facts surrounding the case.
Lawyer Alexander Twum-Barimah
