ACCRA, GHANA – Former Ghanaian Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, was arrested on Monday, July 24, 2023 under suspicion of corruption, according to special prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng.
Dapaah resigned over the weekend following allegations that her houseworkers had stolen over $1 million in cash from her home.
Although Dapaah has denied all accusations, the circumstances surrounding the cash in her residence have raised opposition criticism questioning why a public official held such substantial cash amounts at home.
Agyebeng revealed that Dapaah’s arrest was due to “suspected corruption and corruption-related offences regarding large amounts of money.”
The special prosecutor’s office in Ghana handles cases of corruption involving public officials, judges, or senior political party members.
The arrest occurred as President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration grapples with the nation’s worst economic crisis in years.
The crisis has compelled Ghana to seek a $3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Meanwhile, Akufo-Addo’s ruling NPP party is gearing up for this year’s primaries to select its candidate for next year’s election.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Dapaah declared her resignation, insisting she did not want to be a “hindrance” to the government. However, she denied reports alleging the presence of extensive cash amounts in her home.
According to court documents, the two houseworkers have been charged with stealing $1 million, 300,000 euros, and millions of local Ghanaian cedis, in addition to clothing from a bedroom last year.
According to a spokesman, despite the ongoing controversy, Akufo-Addo commended Dapaah for her loyalty and “devotion” when accepting her resignation on Sunday.
However, former Ghanaian leader John Dramani Mahama, the opposition NDC candidate for the 2024 election, labelled the incident “scandalous” on Twitter.
Baffour Agyeman-Duah, a prominent advocate for good governance, has called for the ombudsman to investigate the case. “It involves a high-ranking public official so the Office of the Special Prosecutor must take it up just to clear any doubts,” he stated in an interview with AFP.
