Former Deputy Attorney General and ex-MP for Tempani, Joseph Kpemka, has urged the public to desist from criticizing the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, before the commencement of her trial. Concerns have been raised about the source and intended use of funds, including large sums of money stolen from the minister's house.

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Kpemka emphasizes that the stolen funds may be legitimately earned income belonging to the former minister. He cautioned against making hasty judgments, as it could impact the ongoing investigation. The former MP suggests that legislation could be introduced to criminalize hoarding large sums of money in people's homes to address similar occurrences in the future.

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“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.

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“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 suggested.

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He called for caution and carefulness in public commentary and advocates for a fair and unbiased trial process for Cecilia Dapaah. Mr Kpemka emphasized that keeping money in one's house is not an offense, and people should wait for the investigation's outcome before passing judgment.

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“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.

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“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.

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