The trial over the theft of valuables from former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah’s home took a new turn as she revealed in court that her late brother, Nana Akwasi Essan II, was a subchief of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. She also claimed that $210,000 stolen by the accused belonged to him.
During the continuation of her cross-examination, Madam Cecilia Dapaah revealed to the court that her late brother, Nana Akwasi Essan II, also known as Charles Dapaah, was a subchief of the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu I.
She had earlier told the court that the accused persons stole $210,000, which belonged to him.
Lawyer Augustine Gyamfi had earlier asked the former Sanitation Minister if she was born into a royal family who were custodians of properties of the spouse of the Asantehene. But Madam Dapaah responded in the negative, noting that there was no kingship in her family.
The lawyer then requested that the former Minister indicate to the court the role of her late brother in the Manhyia Palace.
“Numoahene, I know he served as one of Otumfuo’s chiefs,” she then admitted.
Presiding judge Marie-Louise Simmons then asked about the relevance of the questions of the lawyer since the case was about stolen items from the witness’ home and the role of the second accused in the matter.
In his response, lawyer Gyamfi claimed that intelligence gathered suggested that the jewelry allegedly stolen by the accused persons from the former Minister’s home belonged to the late wife of Otumfuo Osei Tutu I but had since been returned.
He explained that as a subchief of the Asantehene, her brother’s duty was to safeguard the properties of the wife of the Asante King.
But when he asked Cecilia Dapaah to corroborate the claims, she indicated that she was not aware of the assertions.
Do you want this court to believe that you haven’t returned jewelry belonging to Otumfuo’s wife, who’s from Pankrono, through the Manhyia palace after the allegations that the accused persons stole them?”
Cecilia Dapaah: This has never happened. It’s history to me.”
Augustine Gyamfi, who is the lawyer for Sarah Agyei, the second of the seven accused persons in the matter, further averred that the former Minister had in her custody the jewelry belonging to the wife of Otumfuo Osei Tutu I and had returned it after residents of Pankrono at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region pressured her to do so.
He noted that he was surprised that Cecilia Dapaah then accused his client of involvement in stealing the said jewelry, adding that the kente cloths allegedly stolen were different from the ones presented by the police.
The seven accused persons standing trial for various roles in the theft of valuables from the home of the former minister are Patience Botwe (former house help), Sarah Agyei (former house help), Benjamin Sowah, Malik Dauda, Christiana Achab, Job Pomary, and Yahaya Sumaila.
They have been charged with conspiracy, stealing, dishonestly receiving, and money laundering. They have, however, pleaded not guilty to all charges and have been granted bail.
No comment yet, add your voice below!