Former Deputy Attorney General and Tempani MP Joseph Kpemka has urged Ghanaians not to pass judgment on former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Abena Dapaah before her trial begins.
Several parties have expressed worry over the source and intended use of funds stolen from the minister’s house, including US$1 million, €300,000, and unidentified quantities in Ghanaian cedis.
Two house helpers were hauled to court for allegedly taking $1 million, $300,000 Euros, numerous millions of Ghana cedis, and other personal things from Ms. Dapaah and her husband’s home.
Following the event, the Special Prosecutor arrested Madam Dapaah and confiscated two residential homes.
During an interview with Selorm Adonoo on Citi TV’s Big Issue, the former deputy attorney emphasized that the stolen US$1 million and €300,000 belonged to the former minister., “could be legitimately earned income”.
Kpemka stressed the potential consequences of public criticism on Madam Cecilia Dapaah’s scandal, which could damage the ongoing inquiry.
The private legal practitioner explained that the former minister did not commit a crime by retaining money in her home, and he urged for a fair and impartial trial procedure.
“I urge all of us in our commentary not to hang the person [Cecilia Dapaah] before she’s heard. Let the processes go through. In the end, if guilt is established, we can better comment on the person’s character and integrity. It can prejudice the process, let’s allow due process to run. We should be cautious and careful in putting her in public court. She has not committed any offence by keeping money in her house.
“For now, it can be a legitimately earned income. We heard the story that she’s a hotelier, she’s a deputy minister under former president J.A. Kufuor, and she has been a minister under this government on two occasions, she does other businesses and all that. Let’s wait to hear what will come out of the investigations,”Mr. Kpemka stated.
The former MP suggested legislation to make the hoarding of large sums of money in people’s houses illegal.
“When the issue came up and people started talking about it, I said the mere fact that you are keeping trillions of dollars on your house, will not constitute an offence. Because there’s no law in our books that would have been flouted. As a people, if we think that those occurrences are becoming one too many, and a conduit through which people perpetrate crime…then that means there’s a lacuna in our law.
“If we are discovering cash in quantities in people’s houses that are frightening, and we don’t want that to happen, legislation is the way to go. Go to parliament and legislate that if huge sums of money are found, the person is liable,” he recommended.
