I Delivered Our Late Brother’s $800k and Gold Regalia to Cecilia Dapaah for Safekeeping – Brother Testifies in Court

Henry Osei Kwabena, the brother of former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has explained to the court how a large amount of money and valuable items came into her possession.

Testifying as the fourth prosecution witness in the trial involving former domestic worker Patience Botwe and six others, Kwabena revealed that the $800,000 and gold regalia belonged to their late brother, Nana Akwasi Essen II, also known as Charles Dapaah.

In his testimony before the High Court presided over by Justice Marie Louise Simmons, Kwabena stated that their brother, an entrepreneur involved in shoe manufacturing, real estate, and cocoa farming, had given their mother a spare key to his office.

After his death on January 16, 2022, their mother (who has also since passed away) discovered the cash and gold regalia in his office on February 16, 2022.

According to Kwabena, their mother informed him about the discovery and instructed him to send the items to their sister, Cecilia Dapaah, in Accra for safekeeping. He complied and delivered the box containing the valuables on February 20, 2022.

He further told the court that in October 2023, Cecilia Dapaah informed him that part of the money and the gold items had been stolen by Patience Botwe, the primary accused in the case. Kwabena quoted her 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 is ongoing, with Kwabena currently being cross-examined by defense attorneys. The case has been adjourned to July 8.

Background

A new charge sheet filed on November 8, 2023, includes 31 counts such as conspiracy, stealing, dishonestly receiving, and money laundering.

The accused are: Patience Botwe, an 18-year-old hairdresser; Sarah Agyei, 30, unemployed; Benjamin Sowah, 29, a plumber; Malik Dauda, 34, unemployed; Christiana Achab, a trader; Job Pomary, a mechanic; and Yahaya Sumaila, an excavator operator.

Although they have been granted bail, the suspects remain in custody for failing to meet the bail conditions.

Earlier testimonies have been given by Cecilia Dapaah’s husband Daniel Osei Kuffuor (PW1), her retired driver Raymond Nii Amon Ashie (PW2), and Cecilia Dapaah herself (PW3).