Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah resigns

Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah has resigned.

It emerged on Friday, July 21 that two house helps of the Minister were facing charges before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing an amount of $1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana cedis at her residence in Abelenkpe, Accra, in October 2022.

The two, 18-year-old Patience Botwe and 30-year-old Sarah Agyei allegedly stole the monies and personal effects of the couple, between the months of July and October 2022.

Both are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and five counts of stealing US$1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghana cedis.

Many people including the Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson called for her resignation to make way for an independent investigation to ascertain the source of the funds considering that she is an Article 71 Office Holder.

Before her resignation, she had reacted to reports of the stolen funds and the ongoing trial and said such reports contained “noticeable inconsistencies.”

Below is the Minister’s resignation note.

LETTER OF RESIGNATION

22/7/23

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 honour for me to have been given the opportunity to serve in your government and an even greater honour 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 which 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 honour done me in giving me the opportunity to serve our beautiful nation Ghana.