Seven in Dapaah theft case deny charges as High Court grants them bail
Seven persons who allegedly stole various sums of money from former Sanitation and Water Resource Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah, have been granted bail.
The Accra High Court presided over by Mrs Marie-Louise Simmons admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of GH¢750,000 with two sureties each to be justified with landed property.
According to the court, the sureties of each person should be gainfully employed.
It further directed the case investigator to inspect and ascertain the houses of the sureties and accused person, adding they should also provide copies of their Ghana cards to the Registry of the court.
Again, the accused persons should also provide three copies of their pictures, insisting that their front and side views should be captured in the photographs.
The copies of the pictures should be kept in the court’s registry while others were pasted on the case dockets.
The seven accused persons in the company of their respective lawyers, pleaded not guilty to 31 counts of conspiracy to steal, stealing, dishonestly receiving and money laundering.
The accused persons are Patience Botwe, Sarah Agyei, Benjamin Sowah, Malik Dauda, Christiana Achab, Job Pomary and Yahaya Sumaila.
Defence counsel prayed the court presided over Justice Marie-Louise Simmon for bail, saying the accused persons had been in custody for the past four months.
Mr Augustine Gyamfi, counsel for Sarah Agyei, said the plea of the accused persons indicated that they had a defense to put up in the matter.
Mr Gyamfi admitted that all offences were bailable, however the bail was at the discretion of the court.
According to him, if the accused persons were admitted to bail, they would appear to stand trial any time or day, adding they had fixed places of abode.
He said there were nursing mothers among the accused persons and that the bail offered to the accused persons should be lenient.
Prosecution led by Akosua Agyapomaa, Assistant State Attorney, did not oppose to the grant of bail.
However, she prayed the court to make bail conditions compelling enough for the accused persons to appear before court till the end of the trial.
Two house helps among the accused persons were picked by the Police, following an accusation of theft at the residence of the former Minister’s residence at Abelemkpe.
The house helps allegedly stole various sums of money (both local and foreign currencies) between July and October 2022 from the former Minister and her husband, David Osei Kuffour.
The accused persons were nabbed after they allegedly purchased various houses and vehicles in the Greater Accra Region and Northern region.
The matter has been adjourned to December 12, 2023.
Source: GNA