Samuel Nartey George, a member of parliament for Ningo-Prampram Constituency, has called on Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, to step down from her position.
He claims that Madam Abena Dapaah should resign before the government decides to fire her if she truly values the position she currently has in the nation.
On JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, Mr. George stated, “Honourable Cecilia Abena Dapaah should have resigned and not even waited to be fired if she was bothered by the title she holds as honourable.”
The Minority MP made this claim after the Accra High Court was informed that the Sanitation Minister and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, had had large sums of money and other belongings stolen from their Abelemkpe residence.
According to the prosecution, the robberies are said to have occurred between July and October 2022.
Two housekeepers, Patience Botwe, 18, and Sarah Agyei, 30, are reportedly facing five counts of theft involving a total of US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghanaian cedis, as well as one count of conspiracy to commit a crime. This information comes from The Chronicle.
After Patience Botew, one of the accused, was discovered by Mr. Kuffour (the husband) in their room with a duplicate key, she was arrested, and Madam Dapaah and her husband reported the theft case to the police in June of this year.
Based on this, the Ningo-Prampram MP stated that the government should be concerned about the amount of money stashed in the couple’s residence.
He claims that the quantity of cash that was stashed away in their home exceeds the sum that the two housekeepers [who are suspected of robbing them] actually stole.
He clarified that even if the two househelps only stole half of the money that was hidden at the couple’s home, it would still be obvious for the couple to know how much money had been taken.
“For it to be so insignificant that you couldn’t notice its absence until you stumbled on the person should give us a deeper anxiety as a nation how much was concealed at their home, according to the author.
“And I concurred with Professor Appiagyei-Atua that keeping your money in a bank, beneath your mattress, or by digging a hole and putting it in is completely legal; it’s a matter of personal preference. In that case, it’s okay if she kept the money because there is no law requiring that all money be deposited at the bank.
However, Mr. George added, “If one million dollars is so insignificant, I’ll ask: how then did you come by that money? I’m looking at the quantum of – my minds are imagining how much money was stashed there.”
He also raised scepticism about the legitimacy of the funds that were kept in reserve at the home of the sanitation minister and her spouse.
The Minority MP emphasised, “If the money is real, you can begin demonstrating the labour that was done to inherit or earn it. If the money was earned or inherited, we must see the corresponding tax that has been paid to the GRA on that topic.”
He went on to say “However, if you are unable to identify any reputable company that paid that sum of money to you in cash, you must once more inquire which legitimate company will do so.
The Ningo-Prampram MP said, “When you went to the bank to request a withdrawal and delivery to your home after receiving payment by bank wire, what did the bank do? If so, you must specify which bank it was, and the bank must attest that they really did cash out that much money and deliver it.”