The alleged mastermind in the Cecilia Abena Dapaah, former Sanitation and Water Resource Minister, stealing case, has been refused bail by an Accra Circuit Court.
The court held that Patience Botwe, the
18-year-old former house help of the ex-Minister jumped bail at Juvenile Court
“C,” Accra, after the court had granted bail.
“This court is not inclined to grant bail to first accused person
(Patience Botwe) because proceeding of the Juvenile Court C showed that she
flouted the court bail and a bench warrant was issued for her arrest.
Even when the case was struck out in March this year, the accused person
was not arrested despite the bench warrant. Bail application for first accused
person is refused,” the court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah held.
The court ruling emerged after the lawyer
for the accused person, Nana Addo Asrifi, prayed it to admit Patience to bail
and that at the Juvenile Court Patience was granted bail.
This compelled the Circuit Court to direct its Registrar to secure
proceedings at the Juvenile Court to verify his claims in relation to his
client’s bail.
The court has further directed the Prosecution to complete their
investigations so that the pleas of the accused persons could be taken at the
next adjourned date.
It also directed the Police to investigate the properties of the
sureties presented by the accused persons to facilitate the execution of their
bail.
Led by Akosua Agyepomaa, Assistant State
Attorney (ASA), the Prosecution told the court they had received voluminous
documents from the Police and that they would want to peruse them before taking
any action.
According to the ASA, the Police were asked to investigate certain
aspects of the case and they have complied and produced the said voluminous
documents.
She said in addition, the Attorney General was working on the case
docket. Some lawyers were not enthused with the delay caused by the
prosecution by always seeking adjournment.
Mr J. K. Ntoni, who represented two of the accused persons, said
the freedom of the accused persons was at stake and quizzed prosecution why
they kept seeking adjournment at the detriment of the accused persons.
Earlier, defence counsels expressed the
frustration their clients were going through in executing their bail.
Mr Raymond Felli, who was led by Mr Yaw Dankwah, said they had been
frequenting the Police station in their bid to execute the bail, adding, “they
have been asking us to go and come back.”
Sarah Agyei and Christiana Achab, both nursing mothers and Job Pomary
and Malik Dauda are on bail.
Patience Botwe, Benjamin Sowa, Yahaya Sumaila have not been
admitted to bail. Franklin Sarakpo is said to be at large.
All the accused persons are facing eleven
charges for allegedly stealing money and items from the residence of the former
Minister.
The charges include six counts of stealing and five counts of
dishonesty receiving.
Earlier, the prosecution, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police
(DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye, said that the fact and charge sheets had been amended.
Meanwhile, the court has discharged Kwaku Botwe, father of Patience
Botwe, alias, Maabena.
The prosecution said one other accused, Franklin Sarakpo, was at
large.
It stated that the complainants in the case were Mr Daniel Osei
Kufour and his wife, Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, who lived in Abelemkpe, Accra.
The prosecution said the first accused, Patience Botwe, was a house
helper for the complainants, while the second accused, Sarah Agyei, was
unemployed and a former house helper of the couple.
The third accused, Benjamin Sowah, was Patience Botwe’s lover, the
fourth accused, Malik Dauda, was the first accused’s former boyfriend, and the
fifth accused is Christiana Achab, a trader.
The court heard that the sixth accused is Job Pomary, husband of
fifth accused.
Yahaya Sumaila, the seventh accused, is an excavator operator who
lives in Sagnarigu, Tamale Metropolis, and Franklin Sarakpo, the eighth
accused, is the son of the fifth accused, who is on the run.
The prosecution said the Police commenced investigations when in
June 2023, the complainants reported theft of their cash and personal effects.
It said police investigations led to the arrest of the first and
third accused persons at their hide outs in Tamale in the Northern Region.
The prosecution said during a search of the rooms of the accused,
$40,000 and GHC7,619.70 were discovered.
The prosecution said further investigation indicated that when Mr
Kufour returned from town in October last year, he noticed their bedroom had
been opened and heard an unusual noise in the house.
The prosecutor said when Mr Kufuor entered the room, he saw the
first accused hiding behind the storeroom door with duplicate keys to the
master bedroom.
The court heard that the complainants detected theft of money and
personal belongings from the room.
The prosecution said the first accused told the Police during
interrogation that she gave $70,000 of the stolen money to the fifth accused to
buy a three-bedroom property at Amrahia for her, as well as several brand-new
items that were retrieved from the house.
The matter has been adjourned to October 18, 2023.
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