Majority Group In Parliament Reacts To NPP's Allegations On Keta Project

The leadership of the Majority in Parliament has criticised the NPP Member of the committee on Works and Housing for adopting a wrong and partisan approach to the committee's work. Speaking to the Parliamentary Press Corps, the Leader of the House and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. J.H. Owusu Acheampong, described as totally wrong the news conference addressed yesterday by the Minority Spokesman on Works and Housing, Mr. Kwamena Bartels. At the news conference, the Minority Group was reported to have appealed to the President to set up a Presidential or Parliamentary Commission to re-probe the Keta Sea Defence Wall Project because of alleged improprieties. Mr. Owusu Acheampong said he was not against the substance of the matter raised at the news conference, but he was concerned about the procedure. The leader of the House said it is wrong for a section of the House to go outside it and use the name of a Parliamentary Committee as Mr. Bartels did. Mr. Owusu Acheampong said he has complained to the Minority leader about the matter and the leadership of the House is going to confer on it. The leader of the House said it is not true that Parliament approved one-point-three billion dollars for the project in 1995. It was rather one-point-six- million dollars which the House approved for engineering and design services for the project. A Minister of State, Mr. Kwabena Fosu, and one time Minister of Works and Housing, who was mentioned at the news conference, said he was shocked that since he left the Ministry confidential documents have been filtering out into the hands of the minority. Mr. Fosu described as blatant lies, some of the issues raised at the news conference. He said it is not fair for a member of Parliament to mislead the public. Mr. Fosu demanded that the allegations be substantiated. gri

The leadership of the Majority in Parliament has criticised the NPP Member of the committee on Works and Housing for adopting a wrong and partisan approach to the committee's work. Speaking to the Parliamentary Press Corps, the Leader of the House and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. J.H. Owusu Acheampong, described as totally wrong the news conference addressed yesterday by the Minority Spokesman on Works and Housing, Mr. Kwamena Bartels. At the news conference, the Minority Group was reported to have appealed to the President to set up a Presidential or Parliamentary Commission to re-probe the Keta Sea Defence Wall Project because of alleged improprieties. Mr. Owusu Acheampong said he was not against the substance of the matter raised at the news conference, but he was concerned about the procedure. The leader of the House said it is wrong for a section of the House to go outside it and use the name of a Parliamentary Committee as Mr. Bartels did. Mr. Owusu Acheampong said he has complained to the Minority leader about the matter and the leadership of the House is going to confer on it. The leader of the House said it is not true that Parliament approved one-point-three billion dollars for the project in 1995. It was rather one-point-six- million dollars which the House approved for engineering and design services for the project. A Minister of State, Mr. Kwabena Fosu, and one time Minister of Works and Housing, who was mentioned at the news conference, said he was shocked that since he left the Ministry confidential documents have been filtering out into the hands of the minority. Mr. Fosu described as blatant lies, some of the issues raised at the news conference. He said it is not fair for a member of Parliament to mislead the public. Mr. Fosu demanded that the allegations be substantiated. gri