Ghana’s former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, was placed under house arrest on 22 July by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). The arrest followed the alleged theft of $1m (£780,000) cash from her home, with Dapaah suspected of corruption and corruption-related offences.
The arrest triggered widespread reactions in Ghana, where many are grappling with an economic crisis. Critics and anti-corruption campaigners are challenging how a public servant could accumulate such an enormous amount of money at home.
The OSP made it public on Monday, “Ms Dapaah is currently under interrogation by authorised Officers of the OSP,”.
In the wake of public outcry, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo accepted Dapaah’s resignation, tendered on Saturday. The events have caused a media storm with local reports indicating the money was discovered when two of Dapaah’s domestic staff were accused of theft. Allegedly, the duo stole $1m in cash, alongside €300,000 and several million Ghana cedis, in addition to personal items.
However, Dapaah disputes these figures, stating, “The figures mentioned do not accurately reflect what my husband and I reported to the police. I am well aware of the implications such stories can have, given my position.” She further assured full cooperation with all state agencies to ascertain the facts.
The controversy around the former sanitation and water resources minister escalated after the former minister turned to the police to report a theft at her house. What initially seemed to be a theft case took an unexpected twist when Dapaah was arrested for the money in her house.
A court charge sheet dated last Thursday linked to those accused of the theft, revealed that Cecilia Abena Dapaah had a vast sum of money stolen. It listed a “cash sum” of $1m (£780,000), 300,000 euro ($333,000), 350,000 Ghana cedis ($30,000), along with personal items including handbags valued at $35,000 and jewellery worth $95,000.
The 68-year-old ex-minister disputes these figures but the revelation caused an uproar in Ghana, where the local currency has seen a rapid devaluation in recent months. The revelation that a government minister was possibly holding foreign currency has shocked many.
Despite the ongoing controversy, Dapaah maintains her integrity. She resigned as the minister of sanitation and water resources, a role she held for the past five years, so as not to distract from the government’s work. Yet, the anger was far from subdued and by Monday, Dapaah found herself under arrest.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor, responsible for handling corruption allegations against high-ranking officials, confirmed that it had arrested and was questioning Ms Dappah for “suspected corruption and corruption-related offences regarding large amounts of money and other valuable items reportedly stolen from her residence”.
Despite the ongoing controversy, the political future of the ex-minister, one of the three women in the President’s cabinet, now hangs in the balance. The special prosecutor is currently investigating whether Dapaah indeed had such enormous sums of cash in her house and, if so, their origin.
Image Credit: Cecilia Dapaah/Facebook
