The National Cathedral Secretariat said that since it sent out a memo on January 7 to refute a "false" accusation against the National Cathedral, it has been made aware of another false accusation.
This time, according to the same paperwork that the Secretariat gave to Parliament on December 15, 2022, the National Cathedral is said to have given illegal payments totaling GHC 2.6 million to a company called JNS. This information came from the same documents that the Secretariat gave to Parliament on December 15, 2022.
This claim was made by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of parliament from North Tongu.
Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng is the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana. Mr. Ablakwa has shown what he calls "unimpeachable" and "incontrovertible" evidence against Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng.
He says that Rev. Kusi Boateng is the third "mystery" director of JNS Talent Cantre Limited, a company he had previously said got GH2.6 million from the Secretariat in an illegal cash transfer.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng. The two are therefore one and the same.
“Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng AKA Kwabena Adu Gyamfi thought he had outwitted every Ghanaian, particularly our authorities whom he dribbled for many years; but the day of reckoning is finally here.”
But in a statement to him, the Secretariat said, "A normal check, as would be expected of a Member of Parliament, would have shown that this was not an illegal payment, but rather a refund of a short-term interest-free loan made by JNS to top up the payments to the contractors of the National Cathedral.
"A National Cathedral Trustee Member, Rev. Kusi Boateng, was asked for help in a letter dated August 26, 2021, because it was taking longer than expected to get the money to pay the Contractors on time. Rev. Kusi Boateng asked his bank, ADB, to move the GHC 2.6 million from the JNS account to the National Cathedral account on August 27, 2021.
“This support was sought from a National Cathedral Trustee Member, Rev Kusi Boateng, in a letter dated August 26, 2021 due to a delay in the receipt of funds to pay the Contractors on time. The GHC 2.6m was paid from the JNS account to the National Cathedral account on August 27, 2021, following a request from Rev Kusi Boateng to his bankers, ADB.
“The GHC 2.6m was refunded to Rev Kusi Boateng, and JNS, by the National Cathedral on September 8, 2021.”
It added “So, this is not an illegal payment! As we have stressed, consistently, a project of this nature that significantly raises the issues of faith and national development will always have its discontents, malcontents, as well as those who would use lies, and reckless populist statements to give the impression of wanting accountability. In our vibrant democracy, this is to be expected.
“However, we do expect that the basic values of verification, particularly by Members of Parliament, would be followed. The Board and Management of the National Cathedral Project remains focused and committed to the completion of the National Cathedral, and would continue to do so with diligence, integrity, excellence, and accountability.”