Cash-for-seat saga: Expatriates boycott committee sitting

Expatriates who allegedly paid various sums of monies to support the recently held Ghana Expatriate Business Awards (GEBA), failed to appear before the 5-member ad-hoc committee investigating issues surrounding the cash-for-seat saga on Tuesday January 16, 2018.

An estimated number of 23 representatives of various companies who sponsored the GEB Awards were expected to face the committee as the last batch of witnesses in the probe to answer questions regarding their involvement in the event; none of these however showed up despite having been officially invited through writing by the committee.

After waiting for over an hour in parliament, members of the committee headed by the Chair, Kwesi Ameyaw Cheremeh adjourned the sitting to a later date.

Speaking to pressmen, chair of the committee, Kwesi Ameyaw Cheremeh indicated that the expatriates will be re-engaged subsequently to ascertain the exact reason for their absence and for further talks as far as their appearance before the committee is concerned.

He said, “We’ve written to them, we gave them 10 O clock to appear before us, unfortunately we have waited up till now, it is 10 minutes after 11, none has shown up so we are unable to continue the work of the committee for the day. We will adjourn and probably re-contact them to appear before us at a later date to appear before the committee”.

Spokesperson for the committee, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, addressing pressmen after the deferment maintained that sitting will continue as soon as discussions are concluded with the invited expatriates and a date is fixed for the meeting.

“As soon as we have a roadmap, as soon as we have fixed a date convenient to the committee and to them, we’ll inform you….we’ve given them sufficient information, we’ll go back and sort it out and we’ll meet them,” he said.



Background

A 5-member ad-hoc committee was set up by Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye to look into the allegations of extortion by the Trade Ministry at the recently held Ghana Expatriate Business Awards.

Sitting officially began on Thursday January 11 with the two petitioners; Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak and Samuel Ablakwa appearing before the committee.

Officials from the Trade Ministry followed subsequently on Friday January 12 with Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen answering questions from the committee. President of the Millennium Excellence Foundation; Ashim Morton, together with his Chair, Victor Gbeho and their counsel also took their turn before the committee on Monday January 15 for probing.

Members from the expatriate community were the last batch of persons expected to appear before parliament to assist with investigations.