The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George, is alleging that the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is masterminding an amendment to the charge sheet presented to the court in the case of the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, who says over a million dollars and 300,000 Euros have been stolen from her residence.
According to the prosecution in the case, the thefts occurred between July and October 2022.
The Chronicle newspaper reports that two house helps – Patience Botwe, 18, and Sarah Agyei, 30 – are currently facing one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing, involving amounts of US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana Cedis.
Madam Dapaah and her husband reported the theft to the police in June this year, after Mr Daniel Osei Kuffour [husband], caught one of the accused [Patience Botwe] red-handed in their room with a duplicate key, leading to her arrest.
But hours after the news broke out, the Minister issued a statement explaining that the amounts of money purported to have been stolen in the media were inconsistent with the original complaint she filed.
However, the Ningo-Prampram MP, Sam George says a hint given by an NPP MP he did not name, suggests that the governing party was planning to engage in a public relations spin and have the charge sheet altered to reduce the amounts involved.
On Saturday, July 22 on Newsfile on Joy FM, the legislator said, “yesterday [Friday], in parliament, after this matter broke, a senior member of government and a senior MVP person made it clear to us that they were going to engage in a PR spin and get the charge sheet amended.
“And the attempt to amend it is because of the gravity of the theft; to try and drop down the numbers. So Ghanaians should watch out for that. I mean, you will soon see a new charge sheet that has dropped a number of zeros out of the figures in question,” he forewarned.
Mr George also disclosed that the trial of the house helps has been going on for a while now. As a result, he said he found it bizarre that Madam Dapaah is now claiming there have been inconsistencies in the charge sheet only after the news came to light.
Additionally, he stated that it was surprising that the Minister had about a million dollars, coupled with €300,000, stashed in her home, whereas Ghanaians were being advised by government appointees to desist from hoarding dollars to help stabilize the cedi.
Mr George said the ministers in the Akufo-Addo administration have been hypocritical, pointing out that the case of Madam Dapaah confirms that members of the Akufo-Addo government are not practising what they preach to Ghanaians.
Source: Doreen Abena Kyerewaa Akata
