Gabby Otchere-Darko passes verdict on Ofori-Atta’s vetting

Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party has run the rule over the vetting of Finance Minister-designate Ken Ofori-Atta by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.

Gabby, in his assessment of the vetting, opined that the encounter between the 26-member committee and the soft-spoken Ofori-Atta stands out among the vetting of all ministers.

He noted that the members of the committee from the Minority side of Parliament asked well-researched questions which were aptly answered by Ofori-Atta.

“For me, the Appointments Committee showed its mettle during Ken's much-awaited vetting. His was the longest and the only one that took 2 days. The questions, especially from the Minority Leader and his Chief Whip, were well researched and thorough. The answers were also solid,” he posted.

Ken Ofori-Atta endured two days of intensive grilling from the committee members that traversed various topics.

On the Agyapa deal, Ofori-Atta insisted that no law was breached by the government.

“Mr Chairman, I think that the process was, as far as I know, because I did not personally participate in all of that, the transaction was done appropriately and I believe the AG was quite comprehensive in assessing whether the right thing was done or not.

“Whatever needs to be done, was done. I mean, I truly do not think that anything was done wrongly. I believe things were done appropriately and, therefore, may be an AG opinion will be helpful to you,” he informed the Appointments Committee.

Ofori-Atta in answering questions on the financial sector maintained that the government and the Bank of Ghana saved the sector from total collapse.

“To be clear that this was not a policy that was looking to target individuals. The rot was known, cleaning the stables had to be done and we took up the challenge for that. We have seen the result have been good so far.”

“We think we have done the best that the country deserves and the results show that. We have a much stronger banking sector now than we had in 2017.”

Meanwhile, Ken Ofori-Atta has been unanimously approved by Parliament. The Finance Minister was recommended for approval by the Appointments Committee and the plenary endorsed it.