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Two domestic helpers of Cecilia Abena Dapaah and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, are accused of stealing money and other valuables worth millions of Ghana Cedis and are being prosecuted in an Accra Circuit Court.
The couple’s chamber in their home in Abelemkpe, an Accra suburb, is where the allegedly stolen funds were found.
Between July and October 2022, Patience Botwe, 18, and Sarah Agyei, 30, are accused of stealing the couple’s money and personal belongings.
The first defendant, (A1) Patience, is being brought before the same court alongside her father, as well as her current and former partners.
Patience and Sarah (A2) are accused of stealing US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana cedis, as well as conspiring to commit a crime on one count.
In the same time frame, Patience and Sarah are accused of stealing the personal belongings of Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, including a variety of garments worth GHC 95,000, handbags, and fragrances.
The remaining items are jewelry worth $95,000 from Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
However, Patience by herself took six pieces of Kente cloth costing GH90,000 and six sets of men’s clothes worth US$3,000 over the same time period. These items belonged to the minister’s husband.
Benjamin (A3), a 29-year-old plumber, Kweku Botwe (A4), a 65-year-old businessman, and Malik Dauda (A5), a 23-year-old unemployed man, have all been accused of defrauding the government of GH1 million and GH180,000, respectively.
The money indicated was taken from a bedroom that Cecilia Abena Dapaah shares with her husband, as was previously established, and is all property of Cecilia Abena Dapaah and her husband.
On Thursday, July 20, 2023, Susana Ekuful, the judge of an Accra Circuit Court, heard the arraignment of all five accused people.
Although their pleas have not yet been heard, Sarah has been granted bail in the amount of GH1,000,000 with two sureties. The sureties are required to leave their Ghana ID cards with the court’s registrar.
As she was acting as a relief judge, Her Honor Susana Ekuful added that the bail condition is subject to reconsideration by the substantive judge.
Patience had been remanded into legal care along with her purported lovers and father.
Because Sarah is a breastfeeding mother, bail was granted.
Patience, also known as Maabena, was a housekeeper for the complainants, Daniel Osei Kuffour and his wife, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, according to the amended charge sheet and summary of facts provided to the court.
Sarah was also a previous housekeeper for the complainants, it was further disclosed to the court.
Her Honor Susana Ekuful was informed that the complainants reported the incident to the police sometime in June of this year after seeing that their personal belongings and cash had been stolen.
Prior to the complaint, Patience was discovered using a duplicate key to open and enter the couple’s room.
Mr. Kuffour, who had just returned from town, discovered that A1 had been caught after hearing an odd noise emanating from their bedroom and discovering that it had been opened.
When the initial complaint, Mr. Kuffour, entered the space, A1 was concealed behind the door.
The complainants discovered that some of their belongings were missing following this occurrence.
Despite being detained and granted police enquiry bail, A1 went into hiding with her lover, Benjamin, in Tamale after being arrested.
The couple is said to have spent GH 105,600 renting a three-bedroom apartment in Tamale and GH 120,000 renting a business.
After receiving information, the police detained her, and a search of their flat resulted in the recovery of US$40,000 and GH$72,619.70.
According to reports, Patience paid $70,00 for a three-bedroom house in Amrahia and furnished it with a variety of brand-new items, including a chest cooler, a double-decker refrigerator, a water dispenser, a television, and a washing machine.
She also spent GH80,000 on a Hyundai Elantra for Benjamin, who later sold it to buy a Honda Civic.
A1 also gifted her ex-boyfriend Malik (GH$1,000,000) and GH$50,000 to her father.
A1 accused Sarah of being her accomplice during questioning, according to testimony given in court.
As a result, when they were working together at the complainants’ home, A1 would keep watch at the front gate to let Sarah steal from the couple’s room while they were away.
When Sarah was detained in Budumburam, it was discovered through the course of the investigation that she had used her share of the stolen funds to construct a three-bedroom home nearby.
To case has been adjourned till August 2, 2023.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
