Former General Secretary of the People's National Convention, Bernard Mornah, has alleged that the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, was forced to resign from her position.
Speaking in an interview on UTV on Monday, July 24, 2023, Mornah said that even though he is terrified by the amount of money stolen at Cecilia Dapaah's home, the former minister would still be working if she was close to the presidency.
“What is more painful in all of this is that this woman was forced to resign. It is evident that if you are close to the president, you cannot be forced to resign, but if you are not close to the president, you can be forced to resign,” he said in Twi.
Cecilia Dapaah resigned after court documents indicated that the minister and her family lost US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana Cedis in cash; assorted clothes valued at GH¢95,000 and handbags, perfumes, and jewellery valued at US$95,000, during the robbery.
She was arrested by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) hours after her resignation, with the OSP citing suspected corruption and corruption-related offences regarding the huge amounts of money and other valuable items reportedly stolen from her residence by two househelps in 2022.
Two of her househelps, 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.
Former General Secretary of the Peoples National Convention, Bernard Mornah
