5 major incidents since Cecilia Dapaah’s missing US$1m, €300K, GH350K was reported

This is where the woes of Cecilia Abena Dapaah, then Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, started.

She had, along with the husband, lodged a formal complaint based on which police prepared a charge sheet for two former employees (house helps) accusing them of stealing and dissipating some of the stolen sums.

The event happened in 2022 yet the Accra Circuit Court only last week sat on the case.

The developments arising from the Cecilia Dapaah episode has been swift and fast. GhanaWeb looks at five major incidents around the former minister now under arrest.

July 22: Release of ‘inconsistent’ statement

A statement dated July 21 but which started circulating on July 22 was the first reaction of the minister.

It read in part: “There are noticeable inconsistencies between what is being discussed in the public domain and the thrust of the original complaint on the matter.”

Tenders letter of resignation

Even though the letter said she was taking steps to address the inconsistencies, hours later in the evening of July 22, the minister released a letter of resignation addressed to the president.

Whereas I can state emphatically that those figures do not represent correctly what my husband and I reported to the Police, I am very much aware of the import of such stories around someone in my position.

“I am resigning therefore because I do not want this matter to become a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government at such a crucial time,” parts of the letter read.

President accepts resignation

In a letter accepting the resignation of Cecilia Abena Dapaah, President Akufo-Addo conveyed his belief that her integrity, established during her tenure in office, would ultimately be vindicated.

Part of his letter read, “I am confident, like you, that, at the end of the day, your integrity, whilst in office, will be fully established. I wish you the very best in all your endeavors.”

July 24: OSP announces arrest of Dapaah

The embattled minister was taken in for questioning by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, on suspicion of corruption and was subsequently placed under arrest for several hours.

The OSP announced the arrest via a statement that read, “At 11:55 GMT on 24 July 2023, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, who resigned from the position of Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources on 22 July 2023, was placed under arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in respect of suspected corruption and corruption-related offences regarding large amounts of money and other valuable items reportedly stolen from her residence.”

Operatives search Dapaah’s home

Officials from the Office of the Special Prosecutor undertook a search of the residences belonging to Cecilia Abena Dapaah as part of their probe.

The search according a Joynews report took place on Monday, July 24, in response to the alleged theft of substantial sums of money and valuable items from her home between July and October 2022. The accused perpetrators are reported to be her house helps.

During the search, Ms. Dapaah was questioned by authorized officers of the OSP.