News reporter Paul Adom-Otchere stated on his Good Evening Ghana show weeks back that former sanitation minister Cecilia Dapaah and her husband had claimed ownership of US$200,000 and 300,000 euros allegedly stolen from their residence.
At the time, Adom-Otchere cited police records to back his claims on the same programme where he ‘revealed’ that US$800,000 of the missing US$1 million belonged to the deceased brother of the former minister.
The police charge sheet from an Accra Circuit Court where five people were accused of the heist at the residence, had revealed that all missing monies – a million dollars; 300,000 euros and 350,000 Ghana cedis – all belonged to the former minister.
In the latest development in the case, the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, has stated that per the docket presented to the office for advice by the police, there is the need for further investigations on the said sums.
Whiles it sustained the US$800,000 account Adom-Otchere presented, it called for investigations on same in order to avoid duplicity of charges being proffered.
The A-G’s advice was contained in a nine-page document dated July 31, 2023, signed by Alfred Tuah-Yeboah and transmitted to the Director of Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
Relevant portions read: “Cecilia Dapaah also mentioned amounts of $200,000 and €300,000 as having been stolen from the room without indicating who the amounts of money belonged to.
“We have observed that the $200,000 and $800,000 have been lumped together in one count on the charge sheet as belonging to Cecilia Dapaah. It is important for the police to conduct investigations into:
i. The true ownership of the amounts of US$200,000 and €300,000.
ii. The source(s) from which the established owner(s) of the amounts of
US$200,000 and €300,000 acquired the money.
“It is important for the police to establish the ownership of the various amounts of money dishonestly appropriated to avoid any duplicity in the charges,” the A-G stressed.
Read the full legal advice below:
Patience Botwe and 4 Ors
Source: ghanaweb.com
