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BBC Pidgin of Tuesday, 25 July 2023

Source: BBC

Ghana minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah report say dem rob her. Why dem come arrest her?

Cecilia Abena Dapaah, former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Abena Dapaah, former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources

One goment minister for Ghana fit don tink say she dey do di right tin by going to di police to report say dem rob her house, but e backfire big time and she dey under arrest herself now.

According to one court charge sheet from last Thursday wey relate to those accused of di theft, Cecilia Abena Dapaah bin get ogbonge amount of money wey dem tiff.

E describe "cash sum" of $1m (£780,000), as well as 300,000 euro ($333,000) and 350,000 Ghana cedis ($30,000), plus oda personal items including handbags wey dey valued at $35,000 and $95,000-worth of jewellery.

Di 68-year-old no agree wit di figures for di court document but di revelations don cause noise for Ghana.

Di kontri currency don dey lose value badly in recent months, with those in charge of di troubled economy wey dey blame dollar hoarders for di palava di cedi dey face.

E bin dey shocking for many to learn say a goment minister fit don dey hoard foreign currency herself.

Ms Dapaah resign as minister of sanitation and water resources, post wey she bin hold for di last five years on Saturday in order, she say, not to distract from di work of goment. She add say she sure say any investigation go show say she bin act with integrity.

Dat one no stop di anger. By Monday dem arrest her.

Di Office of di Special Prosecutor, wey dey deal with graft allegations against high-level officials, announce say dem arrest and dey question Ms Dappah for "suspected corruption and corruption-related offences regarding large amounts of money and oda valuable items wey reportedly dey stolen from her residence".

Di mata begin with wen dem rob her house - or possibly several robberies for her house wey she dey share wit her husband and daughter, for di capital, Accra.

Two women, wey work as domestic workers for di family, dey at di centre of di accusations. One dey face allegation say e operate as a look-out, while di oda allegedly steal di cash and oda goods. Dem - as well as di three odas accused - never comment on di charges.

Di "brief facts" of di investigation, wey dey attached to di charge sheet, say last October, Ms Dapaah husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, return home and hear "an unusual noise" from im bedroom and den find one of di accused dey hide behind di door.

Na afta di couple realise say tins dey miss but dem only go to di police seven months later.

E no clear why long delay dey, but during dat time, di accused dey alleged say dem go on an extravagant spending spree.

One allegedly buy a three-bedroom house on di outskirts of Accra as well as items to go with am: double-decker fridge, television, washing machine, chest freezer, gas cooker and water dispenser. She allegedly give money to her boyfriend to buy two cars - Hyundai Elantra and a Honda Civic.

Di couple dey also face accusation of renting anoda three-bedroom house in a different city and a store room.

Di oda former employee of Ms Dapaah dey alleged to have spend some of her share of di stolen money on building her own three-bedroom house.

But for di former minister herself, di source of di money wey fund di alleged big shopping bill na mystery.

For her resignation letter, Ms Dapaah say di reports say she get "various huge sums of foreign currencies and millions of Ghana cedis… no represent correctly wetin my husband and I report to di police".

President Nana Akufo-Addo response disappoint anti-corruption campaigners as e appear to prejudge di outcome of di investigations.

"I dey confident… say at di end of di day, your integrity, while you dey office, go dey established," e write to Ms Dapaah.

She bin serve as a minister since President Akufo-Addo bin dey first elected in 2017, initially for aviation and a year later, dem switch her to water and sanitation.

Ms Dapaah bin dey well known as she be one of just three women for di president cabinet.

Now, her political future dey hang in di balance as di special prosecutor investigate weda she really bin get such a huge amount of cash in her house and if so, wia e come from.