The lawyer for the main suspect in the Cecilia Dapaah theft case says his client has not stolen any money.
The accused, Patience Botwe – a house help to the immediate past Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, is alleged to have stolen one million dollars, 300,000 Euros, and millions of cedis aside from bags and jewelries with an accomplice, Sarah Agyei, also a former house help to the complainant.
The accused is currently standing trial with her accomplices.
According to police charge sheet, the 18-year-old house help, allegedly blew the money lavishly with her accomplices, renting a 3-bedroom apartment at a staggering GH¢105,600, purchased a 3-bedroom house in Amrahia, reportedly worth US$70,000 furnished with top-of-the-line items.
She also allegedly gifted her boyfriend a Hyundai Elantra worth GH¢80,000, and also extended financial assistance to her family and ex-boyfriend, contributing GH¢50,000 to her father and GH¢1 million to Malik, her former boyfriend.
But addressing the press after a court hearing on Wednesday, August 2, her lawyer said his client did not steal any money.
“Please, I tell you my client has not stolen any money from anywhere. Nobody has that kind of amount in her wardrobe,” he said.
The lawyer took a swipe at the police for failing to bring the accused to court.
Police prosecutors failed to present the accused persons in court, indicating that the police officers who were supposed to present the two accused had travelled.
Moreover, they indicated that the Attorney General has now fully taken over the prosecution of the case.
But one of the lawyers for the accused persons, Augustine Gyamfi, who was not enthused about the development, said it would have been rather respectful for officials from the A-G to be present in court to announce the decision to take over the case.
He added that the failure to undergo such a process is a cause for concern.
“I heard it on air. The prosecutor informed the court that AG is preparing to take up the matter. In my personal opinion, I feel if the AG is desirous and respects the judicial processes they should have come to court today to tell the court that we want to take up the matter, however, certain things are not in place and therefore we need one or two weeks to be able to take up the matter.”
“You don’t sit in your office and instruct a police prosecutor to tell the court that you want to [take it up]. No. Some of these things we see it as some of the gimmicks to deny people of the justice that they need,” he told the press.
He expressed frustration describing the development as an attempt to hinder their efforts to meet the bail conditions.
Again, the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame has issued an advice on the case after the police forwarded a docket to his office on July 24 for review and advice.
As part of the advice after examining the docket, he asked the police to conduct an investigation into the ownership of the US$200,000 and €300,000 said to have been stolen, and the source of the money.
Again, he called for an investigation into the $800,000 belonging to Madam Dapaah’s deceased brother and the GHS300,000 contribution towards her mother’s funeral contained in a box, and a bag
that was stolen to ascertain the following:
i. The true ownership of the amount of US$800,000.
ii. The source(s) from which the established owner of the amount of US$800,000 acquired the money.
iii. Whether the accused actually stole the full amount of US$800,000 from the house of the complainants.
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