The Ghanaian Times reported that, at the 9th General Meeting of the KMA on May 8,  assembly members learnt over a GH¢5 million loan proposed to be secured in the 2021/22 financial year for the Krofrom market redevelopment was increased to GH¢8 million.

However, only GH¢4.8 million out of the amount had been spent on the market project, with no record of the disbursement of the GH¢3 million.

They therefore demanded a thorough investigation on the whereabout of the money.

However, in a statement, the KMA has said it has never reported or stated anywhere that there is a missing GH¢3 million from any project fund.

“Sometime in the year 2020, the General Assembly approved a loan facility of GH¢5Million from Fidelity Bank for the continuation of the Krofrom Market.

“Fidelity Bank disbursed an amount of GH¢8,622,347.56 to the contractors based on certificates raised by the contractors and on the instructions of the Assembly,” the statement read in parts.

The statement added that, GH¢5 million facility from Fidelity Bank has been fully paid for by the Assembly together with interest charged by the Bank.

‘All attempts by the Assembly to get Fidelity Bank to explain and or account for the additional GH¢3,622,347.56 it added to the GH¢5Million the Assembly applied for have proven futile.

“The Bank (Fidelity) never charged interest on the additional GH¢3,662,347.56. The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly has not opened any project account for the Krofrom Market Project,” the statement added.

Below is the statement:

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An unemployed man, Dela Anim is looking for a passenger who left over GH¢100,000 in a taxi he boarded.

This comes a year after a taxi driver, Akwasi Ackon won the hearts of many Ghanaians after he returned a fish monger’s ¢8,400 he found in his car.

Speaking on Adom FM midday news Kasiebo is Tasty, Dela said he picked a taxi from the Mobile filling station at Nima to Abossey Okai.

Midway through the journey, he said he found a blue-black polythene at the back seat of the car and opened it to realise it was money.

However, he decided not to tell the taxi driver about the money and brought it to the studios of Adom FM.

“I didn’t trust the taxi driver to return the money if I had told him about it. Also, I didn’t want any stories from him so I just kept it to myself. I checked the money at the reception and realised it was GH¢105,000.00,” he narrated.

Aside the money, Dela said he found a key, list and an ID card in the bag, which he believes will help identify the rightful owner.

Asked why he did not keep the money given the prevailing economic crisis and being unemployed, Dela said he was influenced by his life principles.

“I owned a transport business but it has collapsed so I’m unemployed and depend on the benevolence of my family to survive but growing up as a christian and Presbyterian, my parents taught me not to take what is not mine and that has guided my siblings and I throughout life,” he said.

Dela said he is not expecting anything in return for his gesture but will accept anything as reward when the owner is found.

Meanwhile, some Ghanaians who heard Dela’s story have commended him for the good deed.

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Taking to Twitter, Mr Mahama said the development is scandalous.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer bemoaned why the public officeholder will keep such money in her house even if it was genuinely acquired.

As someone who sacked a Deputy Communications Minister, Victoria Hammah, over a leaked tape, in which a voice purported to be hers was heard saying she would stay in politics until she has made $1m, Mr Mahama questioned if President Nana Akufo-Addo can ever set a good example for public office holders in his administration.

$1m + €300k and millions of GHS in a Ghanaian Minister’s home?
Scandalous!!

Even if genuinely acquired, why keep millions of hard currency at home?
Will @NAkufoAddo ever set a good example for public office holders in his administration?

— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) July 21, 2023

Two house-helps working for Madam Dapaah and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, are facing charges in the Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing monies and items worth millions of cedis from the couple’s residence at Abelemkpe, Accra.

The accused individuals, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei, are charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing, which includes US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana Cedis.

The alleged thefts occurred between July and October 2022.

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The said monies were allegedly stolen from the couple’s room in their house at Abelemkpe, a suburb of Accra, in the Greater Accra region.

An 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei allegedly stole the monies and personal effects of the couple, between the months of July and October 2022.

The first accused, Patience, also has her current and former boyfriends, as well as her father, all being dragged before the same court.

Patience and Sarah, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing US$1 million, €300,000 and millions of Ghana cedis.

Within the same period, Patience and Sarah allegedly stole personal effects of Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, which included assorted clothes, valued at GH¢95,000, handbags and perfumes.

The rest are jewellery valued at US$95,000 from Cecilia Abena Dapaah.

However, Patience alone, within the same period stole six pieces of Kente cloth worth GH¢90,000 and six sets of men’s suits valued at US$3,000 which are property of the minister’s husband.

Benjamin, 29 years old, a plumber, has been charged for dishonestly receiving GH¢180,000, Kweku Botwe, 65 years, a trader, also dishonestly receiving GH¢50,000 and Malik Dauda, 23 and unemployed, dishonesty received GH¢1 million.

As earlier stated, the monies mentioned are all property of Madam Dapaah and her husband, stolen from a bedroom that she shares with her husband.

All five accused persons were arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Susana Ekuful on Thursday, July 20, 2023.

Their pleas are yet to be taken, but Sarah has been admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢1 million, with two sureties. The sureties are to deposit their Ghana cards with the registrar of the court.

Her Honour, Susana Ekuful, further stated that the bail condition is subject to review by the substantive judge, as she was serving as a relief judge.

Patience, together with her alleged boyfriends and father, had been remanded into lawful custody.

Sarah was granted bail because she is a breastfeeding mother.

Brief facts

The court was told in the amended charge sheet and brief facts that Patience, also known as Maabena, was a househelp of the complainants, Daniel Osei Kuffour and his wife, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.

The court was further told that Sarah was also a former house help of the complainants.

Her Honour Susana Ekuful was told that the complainants reported the case to the police somewhere in June, this year, after detecting theft of cash and their personal effects.

Preceding the report, Patience was caught to have opened and entered the couple’s room with a duplicate key.

A1 was caught by Mr Kuffour, who returned from town only to find out that their bedroom was opened, as well as hearing an unusual noise coming from it.

The first complainant, Mr Kuffour, entered the room and found A1 hiding behind the door.

It was after this incident that the complainants detected that some of their property were missing.

A1 was arrested and released on police enquiry bail, but unfortunately, went into hiding with her boyfriend, Benjamin, in Tamale.

While in Tamale, the love birds allegedly rented a three-bedroom apartment at the cost of GH¢105,600 as well as a store at the cost of GH¢120,000.

The police arrested her upon intelligence and a spot search conducted in their apartment led to the retrieval of US$40,000 and GH¢72, 619.70.

Patience allegedly bought a three-bedroom house at a cost of US$70,000 at Amrahia and furnished it with the following brand new items – a double-decker refrigerator, water dispenser, a television set, washing machine and a chest cooler among others.

She also bought Hyundai Elantra at the cost of GH¢80,000 for Benjamin who also sold it to purchase a Honda Civic.

A1 also gave her father GH¢50,000 and GH¢1 million to Malik (ex-boyfriend.)

The court heard that A1 implicated Sarah during interrogation that she was her accomplice.

Thus, when they were working together in the complainants’ house, A1 used to keep watch at the main gate to enable Sarah to enter the couple’s room to steal, after which they shared the spoil.

Sarah was arrested at Budumburam and during the investigation, it came to light that she used her portion of the stolen money to build a three-bedroom house at where she was arrested.

The case is adjourned to August 2, 2023.

The incident occurred at Adansi Nsokote near Ofoase Ayirebi area on the border of the Eastern and Ashanti regions.

The victim Osei Boadi Joseph is currently on admission at Akyem Oda Government Hospital in the Eastern region.

Emelia Adutwumwaa, mother of the victim told Starr News, her sister in-law whom they live together in the same house in the community claimed her GH₵‎600 was missing.

The sister in-law Yaa Sarfoa accused Joseph but despite several denials, she insisted on bringing the self-styled pastor for mystical rituals to fish out the suspect.

He scalded anointing oil on the floor and after incantations, asked the boy to dip his right palm into it for 15 minutes which he obliged just to prove his innocence.

“Nothing happened after 15 minutes so the pastor asked him to remove his hand from the scalding anointing oil. However, my son started complaining at night that his palm and fingers have been scalded. His condition worsened a few days after as the fingers were changing,” the mother narrated.

A report was lodged at Akyem Amantia Police station where the pastor was arrested but the Assembly member intervened for his release for an amicable settlement which was granted by the Police leaving the suspect to walk freely.

Noticing that the condition of the boy was not improving after several medical interventions at a primary healthcare facility, the victim was taken to Oda Government Hospital on Monday, March 27, 2023, where he is receiving treatment.

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The despicable incident has prevented the victim from taking steps to be admitted into a Senior High School (SHS) he has been posted to.

“Because of this incident, he has not been able to go for admission in secondary school. Now we don’t even have money to pay his medical bills his Health Insurance has just been renewed so not working for now. I have spent all my savings to treat my son. I need money and justice,” Emelia, mother of the victim said.

Meanwhile, the department of social welfare has visited the victim to commence investigation into the incident.

The main suspect, Constance Aboagye, affectionately called Abena Mansah, couldn’t appear in court with the explanation that she was ill.

But the four accomplices, Bright Oduro, Kofi Acquah, Prince Ntiamoah and Peter Donkor affectionately called Nana Kwame were given Ghc6,000 bail each.

The victim was wrongfully accused of stealing ¢4,000.00 from Abena Mansa who lives at Assin Adiembra with the victim.

According to the father (name withheld), the victim’s hand was tied to his back and also tied to loads of plastic chairs parked in one of the separate rooms of the suspect and subsequently subjected him to severe assaults and torture.

Items used to torture him included shockers, according to the father.

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As a result, the victim sustained bruises on his eyes and body which landed him at the hospital.

Surprisingly, the following day, the woman who claims her ¢4,000.00 was missing, called the father of the victim and confessed that she had found the money in her room so he should forgive her.

The victim was wrongfully accused of stealing ¢4,000.00 from a woman identified as Abena Mansa who also lives at Assin Adiembra.

According to the father, the victim’s hand was tied to his back and also tied to loads of plastic chairs parked in one of the separate rooms.

The father told Adom News his son was subsequently subjected to severe assaults and torture until he confessed to stealing GHC200 from the suspect.

The victim was allegedly slapped mercilessly and shocked several times while bystanders rained insults on him.

As a result, the victim sustained bruises on his eyes and body which landed him at the hospital.

Surprisingly, the next day, the woman who claimed her ¢4,000.00 had gone missing, called the father of the victim and confessed that she had found the money in her room so he should forgive her.

The father has since reported the case to the police for action against the woman and all the suspects involved.

Assin Fosu Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit confirmed the incident and said steps have been taken to get the perpetrators arrested.

The accused persons include his grandfather who he lived with at Akyem Ntronang.

The victim was captured in a video tied with wire rope to a mango tree for nine hours before he was rescued by the police.

His grandfather, Opanyin Amekudzi, alleged that the victim had stolen his Gh₵50, an accusation the boy has denied.

His grandfather allegedly sought the assistance of the two accomplices to help him tie the victim to the mango tree and abandoned him at the mercy of the weather without food and water.

The New Abirim District Police Commander DSP Peter Ofori Donkor confirmed the incident, saying the victim was sent to the hospital, treated, and discharged the next day and has since been reintegrated with his biological mother.

They are expected to reappear before the court on Wednesday, July 8, 2021.

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He returned a total of Gh₵436,402, which he said was given to him for safekeeping and was awaiting instructions for disbursement.

He explained the money was in a safe in his office when he was asked to proceed on leave in July 2017 for investigations into the use of EC staff endowment funds by the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO).

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On page 34 of the Chief Justice’s Committee reported that recommended the removal of the EC Chair and her two deputies, it was also submitted that Mr. Agyei–Larbi, be made to pay to the Commission the amount of GH¢360,000 he admitted had been in his custody in his office since 2016.

“If he is not able to pay the said amount to the EC, we recommend that he is charged with stealing,” the CJ’s committee recommended.

In a petition dated July, 3 2018 to the presidency Mr. Agyei-Larbi stated his readiness to swiftly comply with the report of the Chief Justice’s Committee dependent on his immediate reinstatement after the EOCO investigations.

Subsequent to the petition, EOCO wrote to the Electoral Commission on July, 9 2018 directing the Commission to recall Mr. Agyei-Larbi and he has since refunded the money in his custody after fully resuming work on Wednesday, July 11, 2018.

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In a letter dated Thursday July 12, 2018 to the Presidency Jerry John K. Asiedu, lawyer for Mr. Agyei-Larbi said “Subsequent to the above developments our client has retrieved from the safe in his office an amount of GH¢436,402 with the approval of the Human Resource Director of the Electoral Commission to pay same into the EC IGF account at GCB bank. Attached hereto and marked “C” is a copy of memo endorsed by the Human Resource Director.

“He has paid the amount of GH¢436, 402 into the designated IGF account of the Electoral Commission at the GCB Bank on the 11th day of July, 2018. Attached hereto and marked “D” is a copy of the GCB Bank Receipt as evidence of the payment into the account by our client.

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“Under the circumstances, it is evident that our client has fully complied with the recommendations of the report of the Chief Justice’s Committee which was referred to your high office for implementation. Our client therefore humbly requests that this is brought to the attention of the Attorney General and all other necessary agencies tasked with the implementation of the Committee’s report”.