State Prosecutors have lodged new charges at the High Court against Patience Botwe, the former housemaid of ex-Minister for Sanitation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
Botwe, aged 18, along with seven others, faces charges related to the alleged theft of significant sums of money, including $1 million, 300,000 euros, and various other properties.
Since July 6 of this year, they have been under investigation and appeared before the Circuit Court. During a court session on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, DSP Emmanuel Nyamekye, a police prosecutor, along with Superintendent Sylvester Asare and Akosua Agyepomaa Agyemang, a Senior State Attorney, informed the Court that a fresh charge sheet had been submitted to the High Court.
ASP Nyamekye explained that the Registrar of the High Court had yet to schedule a hearing date, which was necessary for the Prosecution to inform the Circuit Court of the upcoming withdrawal.
ASP Nyamekye clarified that, with this recent development, the charge sheet pending in the Circuit Court would be withdrawn once a hearing date at the High Court is assigned.
“The State Attorney informed me that they have filed an enehanced Charged Sheeet at the High Court yesterday waiting for a date to be issued,” DSP Nyamekye told the Court.
According to him, if a date is assigned, the Prosecution “will come and seek the leave of the Court and withdraw the case from here (Circuit Court) and continue at High Court.”
As a result, the case has been adjourned until November 8, 2023, to allow the Prosecution to withdraw the application from the Circuit Court.
Murtala Inusah, the Legal Affairs Correspondent for EIB Network, reported that the fresh Charge Sheet was submitted to the High Court on Tuesday, October 31, 2023.
All the accused individuals were present in court, with the exception of the eighth accused, who remains at large.
Patience Botwe, an 18-year-old hairdresser, along with Sarah Agyei, aged 30 and unemployed, Benjamin Sowah, aged 29 and a plumber, Malik Dauda, aged 34 and unemployed, Christiana Achab, a trader, Job Pomary, a mechanic, and Yahaya Sumaila, an Excavator operator, face provisional charges consisting of 14 counts of offenses.
The eighth accused person, facing similar charges, is currently evading capture.
Their pleas on the 14 provisional counts, which include one count of conspiracy, five counts of conspiracy, and eight counts of dishonestly receiving, have not yet been recorded.