Godfred Dame shoots down Ablakwa's 'conflict of interest' allegations

Approval of sole-source application to Sir Adjaye was done before establishment of Cathedral, AG

I was secretary to National Cathedral because of my position as Dep. A-G, Godfred Dame explains

I will sue you – Godfred Dame threatens Ablakwa over ‘conflict of interest’ claims

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice has refuted suggestions that the roles he played as secretary to the National Cathedral and board member of the PPA amount to a conflict of interest.

According to Godfred Dame, the National Cathedral was not a company when the PPA (Public Procurement Authority) on which he served as a board member, approved the government’s sole-source application to Sir David Adjaye and Associates in the year 2018, the same period he was serving as Deputy Attorney General.

Resultantly, he couldn’t have served as a secretary in the same period for a company (National Cathedral) which did not even exist at the time.

“Approval of an application to single-source Messrs. Sir David Adjaye Associates was granted by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) on 13th December 2018. The National Cathedral of Ghana was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee (non-profit making entity) on 18 July 2019.

“Quite clearly, at the time of the approval by PPA (on whose governing board I served in my former capacity as Deputy Attorney-General), no company known as the National Cathedral of Ghana had been formed for me to be Secretary of, or have any purported interest in to declare. I could not have had a so-called interest in a non-existent company,” portions of a statement issued by the Dame read.

Godfred Dame however explained that, he later, in 2019, became the representative of the state in his capacity as Deputy Attorney General serving as secretary for the National Cathedral after it was constituted a year after the approval for sole-sourcing had been done.

“I am neither a registered director nor a subscriber (member) of the National Cathedral). My status as Secretary to the company at incorporation was solely on account of my status as Deputy Attorney-General and the company was set up by the State in exercise of its full capacity. In fact, the registered subscriber (member or owner) is the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, an organ of State,” he noted.

The Attorney General issued this statement after North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP)

, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa levelled allegations of conflict of interest against him.

In a Facebook post made on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa who has raised several issues with the construction of a National Cathedral by the government wrote, “It is quite revealing to observe that when the National Cathedral was incorporated on 18th July, 2019; the then Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Dame was registered as Secretary.

“During the same period, he served on the board of the Public Procurement Authority which approved David Adjaye’s irregular sole sourcing contract. A clear conflict of interest situation, particularly from additional evidence available to us,” he added.

Godfred has demanded a retraction and apology from the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa the MP, saying that failure on the MP’s part to retract and apologise for accusing him of conflict of interest will see him institute a legal action against same.

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