Grace Loki, a Ghanaian living in the United States, has filed a complaint with numerous US federal agencies, requesting an inquiry into possible money laundering activities involving Cecilia Dapaah.
The former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources’ problems appear to be worsening with each passing day, due to the ongoing issue of stolen money from her home. This case focuses primarily on an amount of US$1 million, which is believed to be part of monies stolen from her private residence by domestic staff.
Grace Loki, the petitioner, stated her skepticism about the Ghanaian government and its institutions doing a comprehensive investigation into the situation. She expressed her concerns to several US government agencies, including the FBI, the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department, and the DEA, all of whom have a vested interest in money laundering issues. Grace Loki’s motivation originated from her fear that the Ghanaian government, led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will not provide a fair conclusion to the matter.
Moreover, Madam Loki stressed her desire to see that if the former Minister owned any property in the United States, the IRS investigated it and the required taxes be paid. She contended that everyone, even lottery winners, is compelled by law to pay taxes on their winnings.
In the wake of public outrage, corruption claims, and concerns about money laundering, Paul Adom-Otchere, host of “Good Evening Ghana” on Metro TV, attempted to explain the source of the monies. He stated that $800,000 of the stolen $1 million belonged to the former Minister’s deceased brother, Nana Akwasi Essan II.
However, Grace Loki, who currently resides in Bantama, Kumasi, the ancestral home of Madam Dapaah and her family, finds this argument implausible. She stated that she had a personal interaction with Nana Kwaku Nantwi; the late brother mentioned, about two years ago, while he was experiencing financial troubles. This made her doubt the existence of the alleged $800,000 payment.
Police Ommitted Key Details In Report
According to newly obtained records, the case regarding the alleged theft of money from Cecilia Dapaah’s home began in a Juvenile Court.
This revelation has prompted concerns about the police’s failure to include this information in the records given to the Attorney General.
Despite the possession of paperwork describing the missing things, including an unspecified sum of money, the suspect was first charged with minor counts such as unauthorized entry and presence on the premises.
This disclosure comes in response to the Attorney General’s legal advice, which noted the lack of details regarding the initial arrest of any suspects in 2022, after an examination of the police’s case file.
According to the newly obtained documents, the police began an investigation into the situation in 2022, resulting in the filing of various charges in both the Juvenile Court and the Circuit Court. As provided in these documents, Cecilia Dapaah warned one of her domestic staff employees not to access particular rooms within the house during her working hours on October 4, 2022. On October 6, 2022, however, the staff member gained access to one of these rooms and was caught by Dapaah’s spouse, Daniel Kuffuor. Mr. Kuffuor filed an official complaint with the Tesano Police Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit.
Madam Dapaah returned to her room on October 10 and did an inventory to identify the missing things, which included Kente cloth, women’s apparel, an unidentified amount of money, and jewels. The police then took a statement from the juvenile suspect, which resulted in charges being filed. On October 26, 2022, the suspect was presented before the Circuit Court. However, due to inconsistencies in age determination, she was released and then re-arrested, with new accusations brought before the Juvenile Court.
Surprisingly, the discovered documents made no mention of the alleged theft of one million dollars, suits, and other sums in Ghana Cedis, as outlined in court documents filed in July 2023 against the same suspect and four others. These charges are related to the same theft that took place in October 2022. This circumstance therefore raises questions regarding the police’s choice to withhold entire case data, including theft charges, and the failure to disclose the matter to the Attorney General’s office.
Commenting on this, Deputy Attorney General Alfred Tuah Yeboah expressed surprise at the omission and said his office would seek clarification from the police.
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