Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta would have rotten in jail if he was a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He was speaking to Nhyira FM’s Nana Jantuah on Kuro Yi mu Nsem, following a motion by the Minority in Parliament to impeach Mr Ofori-Atta over the economic crisis.
Aside from this, he alleged the Minister has diverted $100 million of Ghana’s oil fund into an offshore account in violation of Article 176 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
“One of the grounds listed that Ofori-Atta should be removed from office is that he has diverted at least one hundred million dollars of our oil fund into an offshore account in violation of article 176 of the 1992 constitution.
“We do not know what he is doing with those oil funds, who are the signatories to those accounts and why he has engaged in that diversion. When you read the latest PIAC report, PIAC has indicted him. What business does Ofori-Atta have in diverting $100 million dollars?” he quizzed.
Mr Ablakwa added the Attorney-General who should be initiating the prosecution of the Finance Minister is a colleague cabinet minister which makes it difficult to start the process.
He believes the 1992 constitution should be amended to have an independent prosecution entity without any political affiliation.
“Why should the Attorney General be a cabinet minister under the same government? Why can’t we have just an independent prosecution entity? That’s why fighting corruption under this 1992 constitution has been fighting the corruption of my opponent and it is not about fighting current corruption,” he said.
The North Tongu MP says the Special Prosecutor would have been the best option, but the office has not lived up to expectations.
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He thinks the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor has been a disaster and it is more like causing financial loss to the state.
“We were all excited that we now have an independent person with a no-nonsense character and he will not be influenced by the politics of the day.
“But let’s be truthful, that office I think that is even now just a matter of causing financial loss to the state,” he bemoaned.
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