President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has accepted the resignation from the office of Cecilia Abena Dapaah as Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources and a member of the government.
President Akufo-Addo applauded Cecilia Dapaah’s loyalty to the image and standing of his Government and thanked her also for her wholehearted contribution and devotion to the progress of the Government and the Nation.
A statement signed and issued by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Bentum Arhin, wished her the best in all her endeavors.
The President will soon appoint a new Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Mr Arhin explained.
The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah on Saturday afternoon resigned from her position with immediate effect.
In a resignation letter dated, Saturday, July 22, 2023, and addressed to the President, she wrote:
”I write to inform you that I wish to resign from my position as Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources.
“It has been a great privilege and honor for me to have been given the opportunity to serve in your government and an even greater honor to have worked to try and bring your great vision for our country to fruition.
“Since yesterday, Friday, July 21, 2023, social and traditional media have been full of stories about a court case involving a theft that took place last year in the home I live with my husband and daughter. The stories sought to suggest that I own various huge sums of foreign currencies and millions of Ghana cedis that have been stolen from my home.
“Whereas I can state emphatically that those figures do not represent correctly what my husband and I reported to the Police, I am very much aware of the import of such stories around someone in my position.
“I am resigning therefore because I do not want this matter to become a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government at such a crucial time.
”I intend to cooperate fully with all state agencies to enable them fully establish the facts, I have no doubt whatsoever that at the end of the processes, it will be fully established that I have conducted myself with integrity during my period in public service and I will be fully exonerated from all the allegations that have filled the public domain in the past 24 hours.
“I thank you, my dear, Mr. President, for the honor done me in giving me the opportunity to serve our beautiful nation Ghana,” she wrote.
Earlier in a press statement, Mrs. Dapaah indicated there were inconsistencies in the complaint and what had been reported in the public domain from the charge sheet and court proceedings.
“There are noticeable inconsistencies between what is being discussed in the public domain and the thrust of the original complaint on the matter,” the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah has stated in response to media reports on money stolen from her residence.
“I refer to publications dated 21/07/2023 suggesting that I own one million dollars, three hundred thousand euros, and millions of cedis which have been stolen from my house.”
”There are noticeable inconsistencies between what is being discussed in the public domain and the thrust of the original complaint on the matter.”
“I am taking steps to examine the origins of the inconsistencies and will provide a detailed response in the coming days,” Mrs. Dapaah said in a press statement dated July 21, in reaction to media reports on the theft.
Two house helps to work for the Minister and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour are facing charges at an Accra Circuit Court, for allegedly stealing monies and items worth millions of cedis from the couple’s residence at Abelemkpe in Accra.
The accused are 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei.
They allegedly stole personal effects belonging to the minister including assorted clothes valued at GH¢95,000, handbags, perfumes, and jewelry worth US$95,000.
They have been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing.
The alleged thefts occurred between July and October 2022.
Patience Botwe has also been 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.
STATEMENT FROM CECILIA ABENA DAPAAH
