Ofori-Atta Wants Ghanaians And The Minority To “Rise Above Witch-Hunting And Entrapment”

• Calm and soft-spoken Ken Ofori-Atta has suggested that the censure motion against him was a witch-hunt
• The minister said the Minority's motion of censure against him was moot because he has judiciously used Ghana's finances
• Meanwhile, his suggestion during the hearing that the National Cathedral project qualifies to be called a contingency project has drawn sharp criticisms

Finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has cleverly appealed to the Minority caucus leading a motion of censure against him to stop trying to find dirt on him when there is none.

He made the comments on Friday, November 18, 2022, when he appeared before a bi-partisan ad hoc committee of Parliament hearing evidence in support of the grounds for the censure motion against him.

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The soft-spoken Ofori-Atta said it would be better to working towards finding solutions to the country's problems in these critical times.

“Let us all work as one country to support our labour negotiations, find a solution to the impasse in parliament and rise above witch-hunting and entrapment,” he said.

Ofori-Atta he denied all the grounds they presented by the Minority as justification for his removal of office as minister.

He, for instance, denied breaching the legal provisions for drawing money from the Consolidated Fund for the construction of the controversial National Cathedral.

Ofori-Atta, who is president Akufo-Addo's cousin, argued that the National Cathedral is entirely a state-owned project and not the president's personal project as the Minority caucus had suggested.

"Expenditures in respect of the National Cathedral were made from the Contingency vault under the other government obligations vault as has been the practice before my tenure," he argued.

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His reference to the National Cathedral as a contingency project for which reason he withdrew funds from the Contingency Vote to finance it has been criticised as dishonest on social media.

@marcusadampah tweeted:

"You have been accused of drawing money from the Consolidated Fund, yet you're talking about Contingency Fund and Contingency Vault. Funny."

Another tweep, @mark_amam also had this to say:

"Ken’s excuse for spending the hard earned taxpayers money on the national cathedral is untenable and laughable! Whether Contingency fund or contingency vault, it’s unnecessary and reckless expenditure in this hard times!! #KenMustGo."

@FrancisWalkie also felt the minister's answer about how he drew money to finance the project is questionable:

"So the financial minister wants to tell us that if he is hungry now, he can just jump into the contingency vault and take any amount of money he wants without informing parliament or the right authorities?"

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@Evershed_YPT also observed the following:

"dem get Ken Ofori Atta falaa. Can National Cathedral be classified as an emergency project for the money to be taken from Contingency vault?"

Ken Ofori-Atta: Akyem Chiefs Storm Parliament To Throw Support Behind Finance Minister As He Faces Committee

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported in a separate story that chiefs and traditional leaders from the Akyem Abuakwa state, where the finance minister and president hail from, stormed Parliament on Friday.

They were there to support Ken Ofori-Atta as he faced the ad-hoc committee over allegations levelled against him.

Ofori-Atta, among others, has been accused of despicable conflict of interest, incompetence and mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy.

Source: YEN.com.gh