Lawyers representing individuals implicated in the money theft case involving former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, have expressed their concern over their clients’ inability to meet the bail requirements.
Mr Augustine Gyamfi who represented Sarah Agyei, the second accused in the case said, “It was not that they were not making any attempt to execute the bail granted by the court, but the interpretation of the bail condition was a challenge.”
An Accra Circuit Court has granted bail to four out of the seven accused individuals. Consequently, the lawyers have requested the court to modify the bail conditions for their clients and have reiterated their bail application.
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The presiding judge, Mrs. Afia Owusua Appiah, advised the lawyers to formally submit applications for bail variation and provide comprehensive information about the proposed sureties. The court cited previous cases where accused individuals had absconded after being granted bail, emphasizing the need for thorough consideration in such matters.
Earlier, the court had instructed the Registrar of the Family and Juvenile Unit to furnish the court with the record of proceedings related to the first accused person, Patience Botwe, within seven days. This was to confirm whether she had already been granted bail by the Family and Juvenile Court.
The trial judge urged the lawyers to maintain professionalism in handling the case and not succumb to public pressure. The court emphasized that the stakes were high, with multiple allegations involved, and advised the lawyers to prioritize legal procedures over public sentiment.
Following this, Mr. Raymond Felli, counsel for Yahaya Sumaila, apologized and withdrew his previous comments against the prosecution.
The court subsequently granted bail to Malik Dauda, the fourth accused, in the amount of GHC100,000, with two sureties required to justify their residency within the jurisdiction.
The prosecution, led by State Attorney Akosua Agyapong Agyeman, mentioned that the investigative docket had been submitted to the Attorney General’s office but had not yet been reviewed. She requested the court to instruct the defense counsel to formally present the bail variation requests for her response.
Among the accused persons, Patience Botwe, Christiana Achab, Job Pomary, and Malik Dauda have been granted bail, while Sarah Agyei, Benjamin Sowa, Yahaya Sumaila, and Franklin Sarakpo have not been granted bail. Franklin Sarakpo is reported to be at large. All the accused individuals face eleven charges related to the alleged theft of money and items from the former Minister’s residence, including six counts of stealing and five counts of dishonestly receiving.
The court noted amendments to the fact and charge sheets in the case and discharged Kwaku Botwe, father of Patience Botwe, while Franklin Sarakpo remains at large. The complainants in the case are Daniel Osei Kufour and his wife, Mrs. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, residents of Abelemkpe, Accra.
The prosecution explained that the first accused, Patience Botwe, was a house helper for the complainants, and the second accused, Sarah Agyei, was an unemployed former house helper for the couple. The third accused, Benjamin Sowah, was Patience Botwe’s lover, and the fourth accused, Malik Dauda, was the first accused’s former boyfriend. The fifth accused, Christiana Achab, is a trader, and the sixth accused is Job Pomary, the husband of the fifth accused. The seventh accused, Yahaya Sumaila, is an excavator operator from Sagnarigu, Tamale Metropolis, and the eighth accused, Franklin Sarakpo, is the son of the fifth accused and is currently on the run.
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The case began when the complainants reported the theft of cash and personal belongings in June 2023. Subsequent police investigations led to the arrest of the first and third accused individuals in Tamale, Northern Region, where $40,000 and GHC7,619.70 were discovered during a search of their rooms. Further investigation revealed that the first accused had given $70,000 of the stolen money to the fifth accused to purchase a three-bedroom property in Amrahia, as well as several brand-new items recovered from the house.
The next court hearing is scheduled for October 3, 2023.
