Cash-for-seat Committee report not ready as more issues emerge

General News of Wednesday, 31 January 2018

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2018-01-31

The report of the special investigative committee set up by Parliament to investigate alleged sale of seats by the Trades Ministry is not ready, Myjoyonline.com has gathered.

The Ameyaw Kyeremeh Committee which was tasked with the responsibility of probing the Cash-For-Seat ‘scandal’ said it will need more time to tie a few loose ends as more issues have emerged.

The Trades Ministry hasn’t made available to the committee the account details into which the Expatriates paid the monies before it was disbursed to the Millennium Excellence Foundation (MEF).

Trades Minister Alan Kyerematen told the committee when he appeared before it that he will make the account details available for assessment by the committee but Myjoyonline.com has learnt that, the ministry has yet to do so.

Also, revelations made during the in-camera meeting with the expat businesses reveal that there are discrepancies in what some of the businesses said and what the MEF claimed.

Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak and MP for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa [petitioners] revealed that the Trades Ministry wrote a letter to the Expats Businesses demanding they paid some monies to participate in an award ceremony.

Background

The two NDC MPs alleged that the Trades Ministry had charged unapproved fees from Expat business so they could sit close to President Akufo-Addo at an awards ceremony organized by MEF.

MEF President Ashim Morton said the President mentioned in the sponsorship package referred to him and not the President of Ghana.

The Minority disputed those claims and pushed for a full parliamentary probe into the matter which they maintained was scandalous.

Speaker of Parliament Prof. Mike Oquaye set up the committee to investigate the allegations.