18-year-old Patience Botwe, the lead suspect in the theft case which occured in the house of the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, has filed for bail at the Circuit Court in Accra.
This comes after the court had turned down several oral applications for bail from her lawyers.
In court yesterday, Botwe’s counsel, Nana Addo Asrifi, notified the court of the application.
However, the prosecution, led by an Assistant State Attorney, Akosua Agyeman, filed a formal response as to why the accused should be denied bail.
Botwe’s lawyers have subsequently prayed for a short adjournment to enable them to respond to the prosecution’s affidavit in opposition to the bail.
Additionally, Botwe’s boyfriend, Benjamin Sowah, has also filed an application praying the court for a bail but that was rejected by the presiding judge, Afia Owusuaa Appiah.
The court said based on his role in the alleged theft case and the manner in which he was arrested in Tamale, the court was not inclined to grant him bail at this stage of the case.
Yahaya Sumaila, an excavator operator who is the seventh accused person, was granted bail.
Sumaila was then admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢300,000 with two sureties to be justified.
Per the bail conditions, the sureties must be resident within the jurisdiction.
He is also to deposit his passport at the registry of the court and report to the police once every fortnight.
This brings to four the total number of suspects granted bail in the case.
They are Job Pomary, Sarah Agyei, Christiana Achab and Sumaila.
Adjournment
The Assistant State Attorney sought a two-week adjournment to enable the case investigators more time to conclude their investigations.
She said the delay in concluding investigations was as a result of the directions given to the investigators upon the Attorney General’s advice on the case docket.
The court has since directed the prosecution to expedite action on investigations to ensure the trial commences.
The court also directed the prosecution to file their disclosures by the next court date but the lawyers in the case want the disclosures filed before the next court sitting.
The case continues on September 19, 2023.
Prosecution’s facts
The facts presented by the prosecution are that in June 2023, the complainants, Ms Dapaah and her husband reported theft of their cash and some personal effects.
Upon the receipt of the complaint, the police commenced investigations into the issue, leading to the arrest of Botwe and Sowah at their hide out in Tamale in the Northern Region.
A search conducted in their room revealed cash of $40,000 and GH¢72,619.70.
Police investigation revealed that in October, 2022, complainant Daniel Osei Kufour, the minister’s husband, returned from town to observe that their bedroom which was locked had been opened, and he heard an unusual noise.
Kufour entered the room and found Botwe hiding behind his storeroom door with duplicate keys to his master bedroom.
Subsequently, the minster and her husband detected the theft of properties.
Statement
Botwe indicated during interrogation that she gave $70,000 out of the stolen money to A5 to buy a three-bedroom house at Amrahia for her.
Brand new items which Botwe used some of the stolen money to buy were also retrieved from the said house.
These included a double decker refrigerator, a television set, one washing machine, one chest freezer, one gas cooker, one water dispenser and related items.
Police investigation also established that Botwe and Sowa used some of the stolen money to buy Hyundai Elantra salon car worth GH¢80,000.
Botwe also gave GH¢180,000 to Sowa who used same to purchase an unregistered Honda Civic salon car.
Investigation also disclosed that Botwe and Sowa used part of the stolen money to rent a three-bed room apartment in Tamale at a total cost of GH¢105,600 for a period of two years.
Additionally, Botwe and Sowa used part of the stolen money to rent a storeroom worth GH¢120,000.
Botwe also mentioned Agyei as her accomplice to the effect that when they were working in the complainants’ house, she used to keep watch of the main gate for Agyei to go into the complainants’ room to steal their money after which they shared the spoil.
Agyei was subsequently arrested from her hideout in Budumburam, a suburb of Kasoa for investigation.
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