The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has added his voice to the list of Ghanaians who have said that Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta should not only be removed but also prosecuted for the alleged crimes he has committed.
According to the MP, Ofori-Atta deserves to be prosecuted for contracting his own company, Data Bank, to act as a facilitator of loan agreements for the government.
Ablakwa, who made these remarks during a Good Morning Ghana panel discussion on Friday (October 28), which was monitored by GhanaWeb, added that the finance minister has also breached the 1992 Constitution of Ghana by taking monies out of the Consolidated Fund without parliamentary approval.
“A finance minister to have his company engaged in this unethical, immoral, stinking conflict of interest – despicable of the highest order. The last time we asked the finance minister how much his company has benefited from euro bonds alone. He told us in Parliament. GH¢151 million… Nasty confits of interest.
“I agree with the popular view that we should not only be talking about (the) removal of this finance minister but (also) his prosecution. This is a candidate for jail.
“You violate Article 176 of our Constitution. The Constitution is clear you can not dip your hands into the Consolidated Fund without parliamentary approval. This finance minister does it once, twice, trice, claiming that he is looking for money to build the president’s cathedral – GH¢199.7 million,” he said.
Watch the interview below:
You can also watch this episode of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV:
