Dollar gift saga: If Sammy Gyamfi should be sanctioned, then Cecilia Dapaah can’t even make it to hell

The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Malik Basintale, has dismissed comparisons between the dollar gift from the CEO of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, to Nana Agradaa, and the large sums of foreign currency found in the home of former Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Dapaah.

In 2023, Cecilia Dapaah reported to the police that $1 million, €300,000, and GH¢350,000 in cash, along with handbags worth $35,000 and jewellery valued at $95,000, had been stolen by her domestic workers from her residence.

The revelation sparked public outrage and led to her resignation, followed by investigations and prosecution by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

Sammy Gyamfi, on the other hand, was recently captured in a viral video handing over an undisclosed amount of cash to self-styled evangelist and former fetish priestess, Nana Agradaa.

The video triggered widespread criticism, including from members of his own party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), where he serves as National Communications Officer.

Sammy Gyamfi, who also serves as the NDC’s National Communications Officer, later issued an unqualified apology on Sunday, May 11, describing the act as “unfortunate” and “regrettable.”

But Basintale insists the two cases are fundamentally different.

According to him, the issue with Cecilia Dapaah involved the quantum of money relative to her declared income, not merely the possession of foreign currency.

“And let me use the Cecilia Dapaah case, for example, which people have referenced. Look, in the Cecilia Dapaah matter, the crime was not in the possession of dollars. The crime was in the amount of dollars she had as opposed to her income,” he said.

“If you think that Sammy Gyamfi should be prosecuted, then Cecilia Dapaah cannot even make it to hell. She would go beyond hellfire, and we’ll have to look for another penalisation, maybe in the next world, to put her into,” Basintale added.