Swear by ‘antoa’ that you haven’t kept more than $1m in your house before – Bempah replies Mahama

• Posted on July 25, 2023July 25, 2023
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The National Democratic Congres (NDC) and their flagbearer John Dramani Mahama are being hypocritical in relation to their criticisms of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Abena Dapaah, a Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah, has said.

Mr Owusu-Bempah dared Former President Mahama to swear by the popular river god deity ‘antoa’ whether he has never kept over one million Dollars before in his house.

On Monday, July 24, he indicated that although the NPP does not support the action of Madam Cecilia Dapaah in keeping such an amount of money at home, the NDC should stop being hypocritical in this matter.

“We condemn that act of the woman, we are not supporting the action of the woman which is why the OSP, established by NPP, is investigating the matter. At least the woman has shown integrity by resigning from the government.

“But the NDC should stop being hypocritical. The BNI and National Security should start going to the homes of the NDC bigwigs and John Mahama to see if they are also not allegedly keeping huge money in their homes. The OSP should be granted a search warrant to search Mahama’s house.

“John Mahama should come and swear by antoa if he hasn’t kept one million dollars before.

“Let me repeat, we are not saying we are not condemning what the woman has done but she is not the first person. NDC has no moral right to criticize the NPP for this.

“We are daring Mahama, if he is a man he should swear by antoa that he never kept more than this in his home before. If he can’t swear then he and his NDC should shut up. He doled out money to delegates to for his election, where did he get that money from? One million dollars is a chicken change to Mahama,  he should give us a break.”

His comments come after Mr Mahama descended heavily on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for not setting any good example with his appointees after one of them was said to have kept millions of Dollars and thousands of Euros in hard currency at home.

Madam Dapaah was said to have kept $1 million, €300,000 and millions of undisclosed Ghana Cedis at home.

These monies were allegedly stolen by two house helps, for which they are standing trial at an Accra Circuit Court.

After this came to light, Mr Mahama took to his official Twitter page on Friday, July 21 to express disgust at such a move by a Minister of state.

He described it as “scandalous”.

“Even if genuinely acquired, why keep millions of hard currency at home?” he wondered in his tweet.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has searched the home of Cecilia Dapaah as part of an investigation into her action.

This was after the OSP placed her under arrest on Monday, July 24.

She is being interrogated by officers of the OSP, a statement said.

“At 11:55 GMT on 24th July 2023, Cecilia Abena Dapaah who resigned from the position of Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources on 22nd July 2023 was placed under arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in respect of suspected corruption and corruption-related offenses regarding large amounts of money and valuable items reportedly stolen from her residence. Ms Dapaah is being questioned by authorized officers of the OSP,” the OSP said in the statement.

-3News