President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed confidence in the integrity of the former Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
The Minister resigned from her position on Friday, July 22, after reports emerged that she had stashed huge sums of money in her home, part of which had been stolen by two house helps who are now facing prosecution alongside other accomplices.
In a letter accepting the Minister’s resignation, the President said “I am confident, like you, that, at the end of the day, your integrity, whilst in office, will be fully established. I wish you the very best in all your endeavours.”
It is unclear whether the President’s comment about the Minister’s integrity is in defence of her conduct in the midst of the allegations of possible wrongdoing, or that it was simply a parting comment after her years of public service.
Already, critics have accused the president of constantly shielding his appointees accused of corruption, to the point of earning the name tag “clearing agent.”
In her resignation letter addressed to the President, Madam Dapaah said she decided to step down because she did not want this matter “to become a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government.”
Without a direct comment on the incident that triggered the Minister’s resignation, the President praised her for her “excellent” service during her tenure in office.
“I have received your letter, dated Saturday, 22nd July 2023, resigning from office as Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources and as a member of the Government.
“It is with considerable regret that I accept your resignation, and I applaud your loyalty to the image and standing of the Government.
“The work you undertook during your period in Government was excellent and productive, and I thank you for your wholehearted contribution and devotion to the progress of the government and the nation,” he stated.