Henry Osei Kwabena, a brother of former Minister of Sanitation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has given an account about how the large sum of $800, 000 got to her.
Kwabena, a fourth Prosecution Witness in the ongoing trial of Patience Botwe, a former maid and six others testified about the discovery of a large sum of money and gold regalia belonging to their late brother, Nana Akwasi Essen II, alias Charles Dapaah.
In his evidence-in-Chief to the High Court presided over by Justice (Mrs) Marie Louise Simmons, said, their late brother, an industrialist and entrepreneur with businesses in shoe manufacturing, real estate, and cocoa farming, had given their mother a spare key to his office.
He said, after his death on January 16, 2022, their mother (now deceased) discovered $800,000 and gold regalia in his office on February 16, 2022.
“Our mother informed me that after our brother’s demise, she went into his office with the spare key and found an amount of Eight Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD 800,000) and some gold regalia packed in a box,” he stated.
The brother of Cecilia Dapaah, Osei Kwabena further testified that his mother instructed him to send the box and its contents to their sister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, in Accra for safekeeping.
He told the Court that, he sent the box on February 20, 2022. However, in October 2023, Cecilia Dapaah informed him that part of their late brother’s money and the gold regalia had been stolen by Patience Botwe, the first accused person.
Osei Kwabena quoted his sister as saying, “Some part of our deceased brother’s money as well as the gold regalia had been stolen by the 1st accused person, Patience Botwe.”
The trial continues as the court examines the evidence presented by Kwabena and other witnesses.
He is facing cross examination from defense lawyers while the case has been adjourned to July 8.
*Background*
On November 8, 2023, a new charged sheet was filed at the High Court which proffered some 31 counts, which comprised of five counts of conspiracy, six counts of stealing, nine counts of dishonestly receiving and 11 counts of money laundering.
Patience Botwe, 18, hairdresser together with Sarah Agyei, 30, unemployed, Benjamin Sowah, 29, plumber, Malik Dauda,34, unemployed, Christiana Achab, a trader, Job Pomary, a mechanic, and Yahaya Sumaila, Excavator operator.
The charges ranges from Conspiracy to steal, stealing, dishonestly receiving, and money laundering.
Despite being granted bail, they are still in lawful custody after failing to meet their respective bail conditions.
So far, husband of the former sanitation minister, Daniel Osei Kuffuor, (PW1), his retired driver Raymond Nii Amon Ashie, (PW2), and Madam Cecilia Dapaah (PW3) have all testified and discharged.
