The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Committee has intimated that the modus operandi of government in its quest to construct the National Cathedral is questionable.
According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, “the whole arrangement, the whole setup is just deeply embedded in illegality and lack of forthrightness.”
The North Tongu MP who was speaking on JoyNews’ The Probe, stated that the Akufo-Addo administration first proclaimed the project as a private and personal pledge, however, public funds are now been siphoned to facilitate the task.
So far, the MP has made put out documents showing that an amount to the tune of GHS 200 million has been dished out to the construction of the project.
These monies, he said, were dished out without recourse to parliamentary processes nor strict public procurement practices.
He added that the inclusion of the National Cathedral’s Executive Director on the roll of Presidential Staffers also flies in the face of the law.
“When you go through the list of Board of Trustees, this gentleman [Dr Paul Opoku Mensah] who has been enlisted here as the Executive Director of the Secretariat, a Secretariat presented as a private entity has also been enlisted as a Presidential staffer and his position there is Overseer of the National Cathedral.
“Why is the Ghanaian taxpayer paying somebody who works for a private board of trustees?” he quizzed.
A situation, the North Tongu MP has described as illegal and unacceptable.
“It is wrong and it is against our Public Financial Management Laws,” he stressed.
He further noted that the opaqueness surrounding the erection of this project is mind-blowing, noting that to date the amount government has sowed is still unknown.
“Government’s conduct lacks transparency and humility and the heights of lawlessness. I am deeply worried that these imminent priests who have collectively united this nation have been put together by President [Akufo-Addo] and is engaging in this lawlessness,” he stressed.
Controversies surrounding the National Cathedral were resuscitated after Mr Ablakwa revealed that Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta released an amount of GH¢142 million for the construction of the National Cathedral in 2020.
In a social media post on Wednesday, June 8, the lawmaker said so far, ¢200 million illegal funds have been released to the project.
Explaining further on the Show, Mr Ablakwa said it is time for government to come clean on the position of the project.
“You don’t build a National Cathedral based on lies and deception,” he stated.
Source myjoyonline