The National Cathedral Secretariat has responded to claims of conflict of interest and corruption on the part of Rev Kusi Boateng, Secretary to the Board of Trustees by North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
In a reaction to the claims by the lawmaker, the Secretariat revealed that the payment made to the company( JNS Talent Centre), which the MP linked to Rev Kusi Boateng, was a refund of a loan the company had given to the Secretariat.
Early on, Mr. Ablakwa claimed in a post on social media that Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng appears to be using illegal means to divert funds from the National Cathedral Project to his pocket.
He’d disclosed that Rev. Kusi Boateng, Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, was the third director of JNS Talent Centre Limited, a company that received GH¢2.6 million payment from the Secretariat.
“Unimpeachable and incontrovertible evidence confirms that Mr. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the famous Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng who still serves on the National Cathedral Board as an Executive Council Member/Director…
“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng. The two are therefore one and the same.”
In a rebuttal to the allegations, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, Executive Director of the Secretariat said that “as a normal verification – expected of a Member of Parliament – would have revealed, this was not an illegal payment but rather a refund of a short-term interest-free loan made by JNS to top up the payments to the contractors of the National Cathedral.
“This support was sought from a National Cathedral Trustee Member, Rev Kusi Boateng, in a letter dated August 26, 2021 due to a delay in the receipt of funds to pay the Contractors on time. The GHC 2.6m was paid from the JNS account to the National Cathedral account on August 27, 2021, following a request from Rev Kusi Boateng to his bankers, ADB.
“The GH¢2.6m was refunded to Rev Kusi Boateng, and JNS, by the National Cathedral on September 21 – 2022. So, this is not an illegal payment!”
Below is the full Statement
PRESS RELEASE
THE NATIONAL CATHEDRAL & PAYMENTS TO JNS
Following the January 7 memo refutation of false claims made against the National Cathedral, the attention of the National Cathedral Secretariat has been drawn to yet another false accusation.
This time, and using information from the same documentation submitted by the Secretariat to Parliament on December 15, 2022, the National Cathedral is said to have made illegal payments totaling GHC 2.6m to a company called JNS.
2) As a normal verification – expected of a Member of Parliament – would have revealed, this was not an illegal payment but rather a refund of a short-term interest free loan made by JNS to top up the payments to the contractors of the National Cathedral. This support was sought from a National Cathedral Trustee Member, Rev Kusi Boateng, in a letter dated August 26, 2021 due to a delay in the receipt of funds to pay the Contractors on time (see attached, below).
3) The GHC 2.6m was paid from the JNS account to the National Cathedral account on August 27, 2021, following a request from Rev Kusi Boateng to his bankers, ADB.
4) The GHC 2.6m was refunded to Rev Kusi Boateng, and JNS, by the National Cathedral on September 8, 2021.
5) So, this is not an illegal payment!
6) As we have stressed, consistently, a project of this nature that significantly raises the issues of faith and national development will always have its discontents, malcontents, as well as those who would use lies, and reckless populist statements to give the impression of wanting accountability. In our vibrant democracy, this is to be expected.
7) However, we do expect that the basic values of verification, particularly by Members of Parliament, would be followed.
8) The Board and Management of the National Cathedral Project remains focused and committed to the completion of the National Cathedral, and would continue to do so with diligence, integrity, excellence, and accountability.
