The ongoing theft case involving former Minister Cecilia Dapaah took a new turn as five of the seven accused persons expressed interest in plea bargaining.
The case, which was heard at the Criminal Court division of the High Court in Accra, saw key developments as Dapaah testified about the alleged theft of significant sums of money and valuables from her home.
During the hearing, Dapaah identified Patience Botwe, Sarah Agyei, and Malik Dauda as individuals she knew personally, having worked with them in her household.
She recounted how she first got to know Botwe through Dauda, whom she and her husband had known for two decades. Agyei had been their house help for over five years but was later dismissed due to conflicts with Dauda.
Dapaah’s testimony detailed how her husband discovered Botwe in one of their storerooms on October 6, 2022, while she was away in Kumasi. Upon his return from reporting the incident to the police, he noticed that the storeroom had been ransacked. When Dapaah returned home on October 10, she confirmed that valuables, including clothing, jewelry, and cash in multiple currencies, were missing.
The stolen amounts, as stated in court, included: $210,000 belonging to her late brother, which was part of a larger sum of $800,000 kept for safekeeping, $200,000 belonging to a client of her husband, €300,000 belonging to her husband, GH₵300,000 meant for family funeral contributions, GH₵50,000 of her personal funds, and $95,000 worth of jewelry, accumulated over 35 years.
Dapaah explained that, initially, she and her husband hoped to recover the stolen money by appealing to Botwe, but later learned from the police that the funds had been distributed among several individuals, including the other accused persons.
She further testified that Botwe was arrested, granted bail, but later absconded before being rearrested along with another accused in Tamale.
During cross-examination, Dapaah confirmed that she could not recall the exact total of the stolen money but maintained that she had provided accurate figures in different currencies.
She admitted that she did not know two of the accused persons, raising questions about their involvement in the case.
Abdul Adam Bassist defense counsel for accused persons five and six argued that their clients should not be on trial, given Dapaah’s admission that she had never met them.
The presiding judge Justice Marie-Louise Simmons(Mrs), ruled that since disclosures had already been made, the prosecution’s case was strong enough for plea bargaining discussions.
However, since the plea process had not formally commenced, the trial would continue with cross-examinations to ensure that, in the event of a failed plea deal, the case would not have to restart.
The court adjourned the case to March 12, 2025, at 9:00 AM.
Read full details below for Cecilia Dapaah Witness Statement
1. My name is Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
2. I live at House Number 4, Manhia Street at Abelemkpe in Accra with my husband.
3. I know Patience Botwe alias Maa Abena, the 1st accused person, Sarah Agyei, the 2nd accused person and Malik Dauda the 4th accused person.
4. I got to know the 1st accused person through the 4th accused person whom my husband and I have known for about twenty (20) years.
5. My husband and I lived with the 2nd accused person for over five (5) years as our house help.
6. During the period the 2nd accused person was staying with us, she got pregnant somewhere in July 2022 and I noticed that she could not bend down to sweep our compound.
7. I therefore asked the 4th accused person to enquire from the 1st accused person who happens to be the mother of his child if she was interested in coming to clean the compound as she was unemployed at the time.
8. The 1st accused person accepted the offer and we agreed that she would come to the house twice a week to clean the compound but will not be resident in our house.
9. Patience Botwe, the 1st accused person worked in my house for about three (3) months, but I sacked her because she and Malik Dauda would quarrel anytime she came to our house because she went home very late to him under the false pretext of closing late.
10. I further emphatically warned Patience Botwe, the 1st accused person, never to come back to our house.
11. In the month of October 2022, I was bereaved and travelled to Kumasi.
12. On 6th October 2022, while I was still in Kumasi, I received a phone call from my husband that he had caught Patience Botwe, the accused person in one of the bedrooms at our house which serves as our storeroom.
13. My husband and I agreed that he should send her to the Tesano Police Station to lodge a complaint.
14. My husband later called me to inform me that when he returned home from the police station, he noticed that the bedroom which we used as our storeroom and had been ransacked.
15.1 returned home on 10th October 2022, and when I entered the storeroom, I noticed that it had indeed been ransacked and some of our belongings and valuable possessions were missing.
16. I realized that a substantial number of my valuable clothes (sewn and unsewn), kente cloths, dresses, skirt suits, blouses, handbags, lace fabrics, and perfumes were all missing.
17. We also found out that huge sums of money had been stolen from our storeroom. This included an amount of $210,000 which belonged to my deceased brother Nana Akwasi Essan Il alias Charles Dapaah.
18. The $210,000 was part of an amount of $800,000 that my elder brother Henry Osei Kwabena brought to me upon the instructions of our mother for safe keeping, after Nana Akwasi Essan Il’s demise.
19. Other monies stolen from our storeroom are:
Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000 USD) belonging to Dorcas Wiredua, a client and relative of my husband.
Three Hundred Thousand Euros (£300,000) belonging to my husband.
Three Hundred Thousand Cedis (GH¢300,000) being contributions that my siblings and I made towards the then upcoming final funeral rite of our late mother Nana Ode Nyarko II.
Fifty Thousand (GH¢50,000) being my personal money.
20. After my husband and I noticed our belongings and monies were missing, we were hoping to impress upon the 1st accused to return the stolen items because of the relationship we have with her and Malik Dauda.
21. However, after some time elapsed we noticed that the 1st accused person would not return the monies and in addition to that, the police had informed us that their investigations had revealed that our monies had been distributed to different persons including the accused persons herein.
22. The police initially arraigned the 1 accused person before court but we were later informed that she jumped bail.
23. Somewhere this year we were informed by the police that the 1st accused person and the 3rd accused person had been arrested at their hideout in Tamale.
24. I therefore, had to do stock taking of my missing belongings and realized that my jewelry that I had purchased within a period of thirty-five (35) years valued at Ninety-Five Thousand United States Dollars ($95,000 USD) were missing.
25. The total value of my missing jewelry is broken down as follows:
26. Eleven (11) sets of earrings and pendants which cost Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000 USD) bringing the total value to Thirty-Three Thousand Dollars ($33,000 USD).
Four gold bangles which cost Three Thousand Five hundred Dollars ($3,500 USD) each totaling fourteen thousand dollars ($14,000 USD).
Fifteen gold earring sets purchased at One Thousand Dollars each totaling Fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000USD).
Diamond set earrings, pendants and bangle bought at Nine Thousand five Hundred dollars ($59,500 USD).
Twelve chains which cost Two Thousand dollars ($2000 USD) each totaling, Twenty-four Thousand Dollars ($24,000 USD)
