Ofori-Atta: Finance Minister Storms Ad-Hoc Committee With Gabby; Demands Documentary Evidence Of Allegations

• A leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on the Minority to provide documentary evidence of the allegations levelled against the Finance Minister
• Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko made the demands when he appeared before the ad-hoc parliamentary committee in the company of the embattled minister, Ken Ofori-Atta
• Gabby says the further particulars will enable his client better assess the allegations based on which his removal is being pushed for

Lawyers for the embattled Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, are demanding further and better particulars of the allegations of financial impropriety based on which the Minority is pushing for the minister's removal.

The legal team led by Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko made the demands when he stormed the ad-hoc parliamentary committee in the company of the embattled minister.

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Censure Motion: We Need Documentary Evidence From Minority In The Interest Of Justice And Fairness - Gabby

Appearing before the committee on the first day of sitting, Gabby, who spoke on behalf of the minister, argued that in the interest of justice and fairness, the particulars of facts in support of each charge need to be provided.

He argued Ken Ofori-Atta risks a heavy punishment of losing his office and, therefore, should be given a fair chance of defending himself.

One of the co-chairs, Dr Dominic Ayine, pointed out that all the documents listed by the proponents of the Motion are public documents authored under the authority and in the custody of the Finance Minister himself.

But Gabby argued that some of the documents being relied on by the proponents of the Motion are voluminous and will take time for the minister and his counsel to go through to get the relevant particulars.

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Ofori-Atta’s censure motion to be televised live; three Minority MPs to testify against him

“That is why we demand that the charges be complete with the particulars, that is all I’m asking,” he stated.

Ken Ofori-Atta: Minority Adduces Evidence To Back Allegations In Vote Of Censure Motion

Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu and Ranking Member of the Finance Committee Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, who led the Minority’s evidence on the Vote of Censure motion, presented a tall list of documents they intend to rely on in evidence.

These include government Budget Statements from 2019 to 2022, Mid-year Budget Statements from 2019 to 2022, physical data from the Ministry of Finance website, IMF staff report, Auditor-General’s Reports from 2018 to 2020, PIAC Reports from 2019 to 2021, Physical Responsibility Act 2018, Act 982, the Public Financial Management Act and the Petroleum Management Act.

Ofori-Atta: Speaker Refers Minority’s Censure Motion Against Finance Minister to Committee

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that in what many say is a disappointing turn of events, no secret vote of censure was taken against finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta on Thursday, November 10, 2022.

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Ken Ofori-Atta: Sam George wants sittings of censure committee probing allegations against Finance Minister televised

Instead, the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin referred the censure motion seeking to remove Ofori-Atta from office to an ad hoc committee.

Source: YEN.com.gh