By Edward Acquah
Accra, July 25, GNA – The Reverend Professor Paul Frimpong-Manso, the immediate-past General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, has commended Ms Cecilia Abena Dapaah for reporting her housemaids accused of “stealing” huge sums of money at her residence to the Police.
He said the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources “did the right thing” by not taking the law into her own hands given the gravity of the alleged theft.
In an exclusive interview with the Ghana News Agency, Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso, who is also the Founder of the Frimpong-Manso Institute, urged the public to refrain from condemning Ms Dapaah until the final determination of the matter by the Court and investigative agencies.
“This is not the time to destroy and condemn her (Dapaah) when the case is still within the law. Let us wait and see what the Special Prosecutor and the various legal systems will come out with.
“But let us also condemn the fact that people should not steal. Nobody is talking about the theft. I will not condemn Cecilia neither will I praise her but at least I will show empathy for her,” he said.
Rev. Paul Frimpong-Manso said Ms Dapaah “has done one of the best thing” by “honourably” resigning from her position to cooperate with investigative bodies to establish the facts of the case.
“We should put human face into things and depoliticise some of these issues,” he added.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor on Monday arrested Ms Dapaah over suspected corruption and corruption-related offences.
The arrest was in connection with “large amounts of money” and other valuable items reportedly stolen from her residence.
The former Minister on Saturday July 22, 2023, resigned from her position following public discourse on an alleged theft that took place in her house, where monies and valuables running into millions of dollars and cedis were stolen.
Ms Dapaah in an earlier press statement said she would soon address issues of “inconsistencies” over monies allegedly stolen from her home.
Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso said it was not advisable for anyone to keep huge sums of money in their homes as doing so could expose them to insecurities, including theft, robbery, adding that the money could be lost in an event of fire outbreak in the home.
He urged the public to endeavour to save their monies at the banks for safe keeping.
“When we keep more monies outside the banks, it brings extreme stress on the economy,” he said.
Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso said issues of ethics and integrity should not be limited to public office holders, but must reflect in the dealings of every Ghanaian irrespective of their positions or status in society.
He said any attempt to use dubious means to gain wealth, abuse people, evade tax, influence decisions at the expense of others or gain undeserving favours, amounted to unethical behaviours that undermined the growth of society.
“Ethics is about knowing what is right and doing what is right. It is also about accepting what is wrong and accepting the punishment associated with it,” Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso said.
GNA