Kwesi Botchway Clashes With NDC’s Lawyer Amaliba On Live TV: “You’re An Ignorant Old Man”

• An NDC and NPP representative clashed on TV3 on July 31 during a panel discussion about the acquittal of former MASLOC CEO Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu
• Lawyer Botchway accused his co-panellist Amaliba of heckling him as he attempted to draw comparisons with the conviction of NPP's Chairman Wontumi
• The exchange escalated sharply after Amaliba accused Botchway of lying, prompting an equally pointed retort from Botchway on air

A discussion over the acquittal of Sedina Tamakloe-Attionu, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), turned heated in the studios of TV3 on July 31.

Representatives of the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress butted heads when scrutinising the appeal that led to the overturning of the 10-year prison sentence handed to Tamakloe- Attionu.

Kwesi Botchway, while drawing comparisons between her acquittal and the conviction of NPP's Chairman Wontumi during a programme on TV3, was interrupted by Abraham Amaliba.

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"You said a lot of things that I disagreed with, but I didn't interject. I wrote them down. What sort of heckling is this? You've been heckling me for a while now," Botchway protested.

Amaliba countered by accusing Botchway of lying; an accusation that prompted Botchway to hit back at him.

"What is this? You lied. You lied," Amaliba fumed.

"You also lied from the pits of hell that the prosecution did not call any witnesses. You lied. I have just read to you that the prosecution called the head of finance of MASLOC," Botchway also fired back.

Background to Sedina Tamakloe saga

According to the facts of the case that led to the short-lived conviction, which was first filed in court in 2017, the Economic and Organised Crime Office investigated certain fraudulent disbursements of the centre's funds involving Tamakloe and Axim.

The investigations showed that in June 2014, MASLOC, which has been the subject of other scandals, invested GH¢150,000 in Obaatanpa Micro-Finance Company Limited, a microfinance company located at Ejura in the Ashanti Region.

Afterwards, Tamakloe-Attionu offered Obaatanpa another sum of GH¢500,000, but the firm refused because of the high interest rate.

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However, the expected refund was not reflected in the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre's books.

In another instance, the duo were also found guilty of appropriating over GH¢1.7 million for a sensitisation exercise.

According to the case facts, Microfinance and Small Loans Centre was expected to provide GH¢20 each for 85,300 beneficiaries, amounting to GH¢1.7 million.

However, only GH¢1,300 was spent for the intended purpose, and Tamakloe and Axim misappropriated the rest.

Source: YEN.com.gh