Former Deputy Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, has accused government of witch hunting in a desperate attempt to clip his wings for his staunch opposition to the E-levy.
He vowed, however, that a million prosecutions will not stop him holding the Akufo-Addo government accountable for the management of state finances and that the Minority will not relent on its fight to ensure the feet of Government is held to the fire.
The Former Deputy Minister stressed he will not be cowed into silence from blatant abuse of prosecutorial powers of the Attorney General because he is not a ‘witch’.
At a press conference on Friday to respond to media reports that charges have been preferred against him by the Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame over the purchase of some ambulances in 2014, Mr. Forson indicated he has not formally been charged in court though he has sighted copies of the charge sheet in the media.
He explained investigation into the purchase of the ambulances started in 2017 and was invited to provide a statement to EOCO on his recollection of the transaction.
“Interestingly, nothing was heard of the investigation until November 2021, a period of four years, when I started raising concerns about the 2022 Budget and Economic Policy of the Government.”
“During this period, the Secretariat of the Rt. Honourable Speaker informed me that the EOCO had requested that I be released to assist with further investigation into the purchase of the ambulances.”
“I was further informed that the Office of the Attorney General had requested that a charge statement be taken from me in preparation for formal charges to be filed against me,” he said.
According to Mr. Forson, the timing of the AG speaks volumes about the charges, which he said are frivolous and baseless.
The only role he played in the entire transaction, he said, was signing a letter on behalf of the Minister of Finance as a Deputy Finance Minister, for the establishment of letters of credit by the Bank of Ghana and for payment by the Controller Accountant General of the charges for the letters of credit.
“Since when did ministerial instruction for the establishment of letters of credit become a crime in this dear country of ours,” he quizzed.
“It should be noted I did not authorise payment for the said €2,370,000. My only job in the entire transaction was to request the issuance of LC (Letter of Credit) on the authority of the Minister of Finance,” he added.
The MP stressed the charges are a politically motivated attempt by President Akufo-Addo and the Attorney General to silence him for performing his duties as the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament.
He questioned why the AG is not prosecuting those who left the ambulances to rot but is interested in the one who signed an LC on the direct order of his supervisor.
Source: MyPublisher24.com