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Cecilia Dapaah’s theft case: One more gets ₵300k bail
One more person has been admitted to bail in the case in which seven persons are standing trial for allegedly stealing sums of money from former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah’s residence in Accra.
So far, three out of the seven accused persons are on bail.
The Circuit Court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah admitted Job Pomary, the sixth accused person, to bail in the sum of GHC300, 000 with three sureties to be justified.
The court directed Pomary to deposit his passport with the court’s Registry.
The remaining four accused persons have been remanded into Police custody by the court and are expected to reappear on September 5.
When sitting resumed on Tuesday, counsel for Pomary drew the court’s attention to the bail application it had filed.
The prosecution, led by Akosua Agyapoma, an Assistant State Attorney, did not oppose the application for bail.
She said the State was earnestly working hard to conclude investigations and prayed for the court to grant them two weeks adjournment.
Lawyers of the other accused persons, who wanted to make oral application for bail, were directed by the court to do so by filing written bail applications.
The two accused persons, who were said to be lactating mothers, were granted bail of GHC1 million each with three sureties at the last sitting.
The two are Patience Botwe and Christiana Achab.
All the accused persons are facing eleven charges for allegedly stealing money and items from the residence of the former Minister.
The charges include six counts of stealing and five counts of dishonestly receiving.
The court ordered the defence counsels for the two who were granted bail to provide documented evidence proving that they are lactating mothers.
Earlier the prosecution, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye, said that the fact and charge sheets had been amended.
Meanwhile, the court has discharged Kwaku Botwe, father of Patience Botwe, alias, Maabena.
The prosecution said one other accused, Franklin Sarakpo, was at large.
DSP Nyamekye said the complainants in the case were Mr Daniel Osei Kufour and his wife Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, who lived at Abelemkpe in Accra.
The prosecution said the first accused, Patience Botwe, was a house help of the complainants, and that the second accused, Sarah Agyei, was unemployed and a former house help of the complainants.
DSP Nyamekye said the third accused, Benjamin Sowah, was Patience Botwe’s boyfriend, and the fourth accused, Malik Dauda, was the first accused’s former boyfriend and the fifth accused is Christiana Achab, a trader.
The court heard that the sixth accused is Job Pomary, husband of fifth accused, the seventh accused, Yahaya Sumaila, an excavator operator, residing at Sagnarigu, in the Tamale Metropolis and eighth accused, Franklin Sarakpo, son of fifth accused, who is on the run.
DSP Nyamekye said the police commenced investigations when in June 2023, the complainants reported theft of their cash and personal effects.
It said police investigations led to the arrest of the first and third accused persons at their hideouts in Tamale in the Northern Region.
DSP Nyamekye said when a search was conducted in the rooms of the accused, $40,000 and GHC7,619.70 were found.
The prosecution said further investigations revealed that in October last year, Mr Kufour returned from town and noticed that their bedroom had been opened and he heard an unusual noise in the house.
DSP Nyamekye said when he (complainant) entered the room, he found the first accused hiding behind the door of the storeroom holding duplicate keys to the master bedroom.
The court heard that the complainants detected theft of money and personal belongings from the room.
DSP Nyamekye said the first accused told the police during interrogation that she gave $70,000 out of the stolen money to the fifth accused allegedly to buy a three-bedroom house at Amrahia for her, and also bought some brand-new items, which were retrieved from the house.
credit:myjoyonline.com
The Dzidula Pink Foundation, a new organisation dedicated to cancer awareness, early detection, and patient support, has been officially launched in Accra, with a passionate call for national commitment to fighting the disease. The launch event, held last week Friday, carried the theme: “Beyond the diagnosis: A future of restoration, care and courage.”
Speaking at the event, Madam Abena Brigidi, founder and CEO of Nimed Capital Limited, emphasised that cancer remains one of the most devastating health challenges facing families across the country. “Cancer does not discriminate—it affects mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. It drains families emotionally and financially, and behind every statistic is a human story and a future suddenly thrown into uncertainty,” she said.
Sharing her personal encounters with cancer, having lost both her husband and father to the disease, Madam Brigidi highlighted the emotional, financial, and physical scars left behind. “I stand here not just as a speaker, but as a witness to what cancer can take away,” she stated. “I have watched loved ones fight bravely, and I have felt the deep pain that loss leaves behind.”
She stressed that awareness and early detection are critical to reducing deaths, noting that many Ghanaians still lack access to proper screening, reliable information, and adequate treatment. She appealed to healthcare professionals, corporate institutions, policymakers, the media, and the general public to join hands in the fight. “Early detection saves lives. Your support today can lead to someone’s healing tomorrow,” she said.
Madam Brigidi further called for collective responsibility to sustain the foundation’s mission. “To our medical professionals, we need your expertise. To corporate partners, your resources. To the media, your voice. To policymakers, your support. And to the public, your compassion,” she urged. She also insisted that breast cancer awareness should not be limited to annual campaigns, saying, “Breast cancer awareness must not be seasonal.”
Mrs Diana Fafa Gozo, founder of the Dzidula Pink Foundation, shared her own cancer journey, describing the shock of diagnosis, the fear that followed, and the difficult path through treatment. Her experience transformed her pain into purpose and inspired her to create a foundation to ensure no cancer patient walks alone.
Mrs Gozo explained that many patients struggle not only with treatment costs but also with emotional resilience. She outlined the foundation’s initiatives, which include awareness and early detection campaigns, patient support funds, community outreach, and survival support circles. “This foundation is my offering of gratitude, courage, and compassion and a reminder that no one should walk the cancer journey alone,” she concluded.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) says it will deploy teams of Public Health Officers, members of its Sanitation Taskforce, and labourers, including sweepers and janitors, across all sub-metros to support the third National Sanitation Day exercise.
It explained that these teams will be equipped with waste collection trucks, tippers, and other tools to help with desilting, refuse collection, and transporting waste to approved disposal sites.
The AMA reminded residents that failing to comply with the sanitation directive or refusing to participate in communal labour is an offence.
It said offenders risk a fine of up to 100 penalty units, imprisonment between 30 days and six months, or both, with repeat offenders liable to additional daily penalties.
It urged all residents, traders, transport operators, market women, shop owners, landlords, tenants, and businesses to actively participate in the exercise.
The AMA said it counts on everyone’s collective responsibility to keep Accra clean, liveable, and resilient, especially as the city approaches Christmas and the New Year.
By: Jacob Aggrey
