Ahomka-Lindsay faces sanction over alleged perjury

Deputy Trade and Industry Minister, Robert Ahomka-Lindsay, is being accused of perjury over his claim that the Komenda Sugar Factory has never fully processed raw sugarcane.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on August 10 this year, the Minister in an answer to a question on the real status of the factory said it has never fully produced sugar since it was inaugurated in 2016.

He told the Committee that government at the time bought semi-processed sugar, which the factory refined for people to taste at the inauguration by former President John Mahama.

“The sugar you tasted at the time, the government …bought semi-processed sugar; then part of it was used to process and that is part of what you tasted. We have never put cane sugar through the full system of the Komenda Sugar [Factory],” Mr Ahomka-Lindsay said.

But the former Secretary of the Komenda Sugar Project Management Board, Ransford Chatman Vanni-Amoah described the statement by Mr Ahomka-Lindsay as “untrue”.

In a petition to the Public Accounts Committee Chairman dated August 31, the former board member said the minister’s answer “was deliberate attempt to mislead the Committee and the good people of Ghana”.

Contrary to the minister’s claim, he said the factory produced sugar during the test runs session, indicating that the current state of processing plant makes it almost impossible to process semi-processed sugar. Mr Vanni-Amoah in his petition is asking the Committee to sanction Mr Ahomka-Lindsay for perjuring himself on the matter.

He said the minister’s action is also in breach of the standing orders and constitute contempt of parliament arguing his comments were intended to deceive Parliament. “Mr Ahomka-Lindsay has perjured himself before your Committee and I petition for his statement to be expunged from the hansard and the necessary sanctions applied,” he requested in the petition.

He assured the chairman of his willingness to appear before the Committee to provide evidence contrary to the claims of the Minister.