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Cecilia Dapaah’s millions: OSP, other bodies to investigate suspected money laundering against former minister
The Special Prosecutor (SP) has announced plans to collaborate with state agencies to investigate money laundering suspicions against former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah.
The Special Prosecutor says following claims that part of the huge sums of cash found in the home of the former minister, as well as money discovered in her bank accounts were repatriated from abroad, the Federation Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States which stepped into the investigation, found suspected money laundering activities in Madam Cecilia Dapaah’s case.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, November 29, the Special Prosecutor, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng said, “The investigation became cross-border and trans-boundary upon the claim by persons of interest that part of the seized cash sums was transported into the jurisdiction of the United States. For that reason, the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States of America became involved in collaborative investigative work with the OSP on the matter.
“The investigation has been largely aimed at determining the sources of the large cash sums. We have had the benefits of five months of investigation and the circumstances of the case are clearer to us. Part of the case is in the province of money laundering and structuring,” he said.
Mr Agyebeng explained that his outfit did not have the structures to investigate money laundering cases hence it plans to collaborate with State agencies to get to the root of the matter.
“The OSP does not have a direct mandate on money laundering therefore the office will invite law enforcement agencies that have a direct money laundering mandate for collaborative work in respect of those parts of the case,” he said.
This new development implies that the case will be reopened following the initial refusal of the High Court to confirm the freezing and seizure orders the OSP had applied for. However, these new findings Mr Aygebeng says give a new angle to the case.
Background
Two house helps who worked for Cecilia Abena Dapaah and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour are facing charges for allegedly stealing monies and items worth millions of cedis from the couple’s residence at Abelemkpe in Accra.
The main accused individuals, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and five counts of stealing.
The alleged thefts occurred between July and October 2022.
During this period, the house helps allegedly stole personal effects belonging to Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, including assorted clothes valued at GH¢95,000, handbags, perfumes, and jewellery worth US$95,000.
Additionally, Ms Botwe is accused of stealing six pieces of Kente cloth worth GH¢90,000 and six sets of men’s suits valued at US$3,000, which belong to the minister’s husband.
Furthermore, three other individuals, identified as Ms Botwe’s current and former boyfriends and her father, are also facing charges for allegedly being involved in the crime. They have been respectively charged with dishonestly receiving GH¢1 million, GH¢180,000, and GH¢50,000.
According to court proceedings, the stolen monies and items belonged to Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah and her husband, taken from their bedroom in their residence.
The accused individuals were arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Susana Ekuful, on Thursday, July 20, 2023. However, their pleas have not been taken yet.
The court granted bail to Sarah Agyei in the sum of GH¢1 million with two sureties. The sureties are required to deposit their Ghana cards with the court’s registrar. The bail conditions are subject to review by the substantive judge, as Susana Ekuful was serving as a relief judge.
On the other hand, Ms Botwe, along with her alleged boyfriends and father, have been remanded into lawful custody.
The complainants reported the theft case to the police in June 2023 after discovering the missing cash and personal effects.
Ms Botwe was caught red-handed entering the couple’s room with a duplicate key, leading to her arrest.
Further investigations revealed that Patience, with the help of her alleged accomplice Sarah, had hidden the stolen money and used it to purchase properties and expensive items.
This information got Ghanaians talking with many asking CHRAJ, the OSP and the Ghana Police Service to investigate the source of the money.
Subsequently, the Special Prosecutor announced that his office was investigating the matter, starting with the arrest of Madam Cecilia Dapaah.
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appointed the Minister of State at the Presidency and Member of Parliament for Tano North, Freda Prempeh, to take over as Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources since the resignation of Madam Cecilia Dapaah from office.
More arrests, more houses
During the trial of the suspects in the theft case, the Ghana Police Service said three more persons have been arrested in addition to the four people standing trial in the theft case involving former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah.
This follows the amendment of the previous charge sheet based on the advice of the Attorney General.
The accused list now comprised Patience Botwe, 18, hairdresser; Sarah Agyei, 30, unemployed, Benjamin Sowah, 29, plumber, Malik Dauda, 34, unemployed, Christiana Achab, a trader, Job Pomary, a mechanic, and Yahaya Sumaila, an excavator operator.
They have, together, been slapped with 14 counts comprising of conspiracy, five counts of stealing and 8 counts of dishonestly receiving.
According to the facts of the case against the three new suspects, Christiana Achab, who is a trader and Job Pomary, a mechanic, they are said to have received an amount of Three Hundred Thousand Ghana cedis (GH¢300,000.00) from Patience Botwe, the house help of Cecilia Dapaah in 2023.
In that same year, Christiana Achab is said to have dishonestly received another amount of Eight Hundred Thousand Ghana cedis from Patience.
She is also said to have received a further Three Hundred Thousand Ghana cedis. This was different from a previous Three Hundred Thousand cedis, Christian and Franklin (who is at large) received in 2022.
For Yahaya Sumaila, an excavator operator, he is said to have received Eight Hundred thousand Ghana cedis together with Christiana in 2023.
The police further revealed that Christiana Achab, who received over GH¢2 million of the stolen money, purchased an eleven-unit chamber and hall self-contained house at Budumburam at the cost of GH¢800,000 for herself.
She is also alleged to have purchased a three-bedroom house at Aplaku at the cost of GH¢300,000 for Patience Botwe.
Also, Christiana Achab and Job Pomary allegedly purchased a four-bedroom house at Kokrobite at the cost of GH¢280,000 for Christiana.
Christiana Achab is further accused of contacting Yahaya Sumaila and purchased a three-bedroom self-contained house at Amrahia at the cost of GH¢850,0000 in the name of Yahaya Sumaila.
In addition to the houses, she also purchased two Honda Acura vehicles at the cost of GH¢300,000 each registered in the name of Franklin Sarakpo, and Patience Botwe.
Source: myjoyonline.com
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
