Ofori-Atta Says Censure Motions In The Future Should Be More Thorough, And Less Politically Motivated

• Ken Ofori-Atta has commended the motion of censure filed against him by the Minority in Parliament
• He said it was good for the progress of Ghana's democracy but says it should be more thorough and less politically motivated
• He also stated he was innocent of all the claims brought against him by the Minority for which reason they wanted his appointment as finance minister revoked

Finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has said the motion of censure filed by the Minority against him was good for the progress of Ghana’s democracy.

Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, December 8, 2022 during a debate by the plenary, the finance minister stated emphatically that the grounds presented by opposition MPs for the revocation of his appointment were untrue.

“This censure has done some good in advancing our democracy; as we would hope that in future, such censures will have more thoroughness, will be less politically motivated,” Ofori-Atta said in his characteristic calm voice.

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He said he was innocent of all the claims presented by the Minority as grounds for his removal from office.

Ofori-Atta stressed that the grounds – seven of them – including conflict of interest and deliberate misreporting of financial data were all unfounded.

“For I tell you, Mr Speaker, that even if I said I am innocent, they will not believe me, and if I ask for truth and proof, they will not be able to answer that. I have committed no crime.

“Mr speaker, let me just remind us as we talk about the issue of recklessness, of mismanagement, of conflict of interest, and also remind ourselves of our Covid-19 experience, of our Ukraine War and, Mr Speaker, ask ourselves the lack of recklessness and mismanagement and the lack of these events, I ask my colleague who used to be at the Ministry [Cassiel Ato Forson], what happened in 2015, for Ghana to run to the IMF?” Ofori-Atta said.

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Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported in a separate story that Parliament of Ghana did not make history on Thursday by voting to revoke the appointment of Ofori-Atta.

Parliament needed only 183 votes from the 275 Members of Parliament but only 136 legislators from the Minority voted to support the motion.

All the Majority Members of Parliament abstained from voting.

After the Speaker Alban Bagbin announced the results, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu described it as a strong statement the Minority that they had no confidence in Akufo-Addo's finance minister.

Source: YEN.com.gh