Ofori-Atta borrows at rates way above the market average – Ankrah
I don't take salaries or per diem, Ofori-Atta
Director of Elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has alleged that Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta benefits directly from bonds issued by the government.
In an interview with Metro TV monitored by GhanaWeb, Afriyie Ankrah accused Ofori-Atta of borrowing monies on behalf of the country at interest rates above markets rates.
He hinted that the finance minister should be sacked for borrowing at high-interest rates and also for benefiting from loans the country took because these actions are the reason Ghana is in an economic mess.
"They should fire the finance minister, is he not the one responsible, is he not the one who went and took bonds at 19.5 percent, when at that time the market rate was 10 percent.
"This is a minister who benefits directly from (the bonds), he and … Adu Boahen, they benefit directly from every bond that we take," he said.
Touching on the passage of the E-Levy, the NDC Director of Communication said the NDC will only support the levy if the government is able to account for the vast resources it has used since it came to power and also the COVID-19 funds.
"The government has taken so much money, and there is nothing to show for it. What is the guarantee that if we give you GH¢6.9 billion a year, you would be able to utilise it properly, and the fact is that there is a gaping hole. The Auditor-General says that in 2021, GH¢ 12.8 billion was unaccounted for.
"They have not brought any measures to show that they have put systems and mechanisms in place to seal those holes… Their argument is that the E-Levy money would be dealt with separately, but it would be managed by the same people who have managed GH¢300 billion, we haven't seen anything out of it," he said
Therefore to accept E-Levy, "we are asking for accountability for the humungous amount of money that they got out of the COVID fund, US$ 2 billion from the IMF, over US$ 430 million World Bank, apart from what they took from the consolidated fund and other funds."
On March 25, 2021, Ken Ofori-Atta stated that he does not seek to use his office for personal benefit.
"I suspect you know that the issue of public service is one that really has been with the family [Ofori-Atta family] for a long time, and I came into it with that aspect. I do not take a salary, I do not take a per diem, so those are not the objectives that I come with," he said.
Director of Elections of the National Democratic Congress, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah