Minister accused of extortion

Some assembly members of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly (CCMA) believed to be sympathisers of opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have accused the Central Regional Minister, Mr. Kwamena Duncan, of extorting monies from traders at Kotokuraba with the assurance of securing them spaces in the newly built ultra-modern market complex.

The market, which was commissioned just before the December 7 general election by the previous government, has been plagued by conflicts and court litigations since its establishment.

According to the assembly members who call themselves Concerned Assembly members of Cape Coast, the regional minister and the Cape Coast Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Ernest Arthur, have been taking advantage of the confusion surrounding the market project to extort monies from desperate traders.

“They charge between GH?3,000 to GH?7,000 depending on the exact location you prefer,” they alleged.

They made this known during a press conference dubbed: “Evidence based press conference” in Cape Coast on Monday, July 17, 2017.

Addressing the media, the spokesperson for the group, Mr. George Justice Arthur, further alleged that the two New Patriotic Party (NPP) kingpins have constituted an illegal committee who go about extracting monies from the traders.

He indicated that about 70 illegal occupants including Nigerians have been allocated stores while others who were already occupants before the market were demolished.

“This is so sad and illegal because this was not done with the approval of the assembly”, they indicated.

He claimed the regional minister was deliberately displacing traders who are sympathetic to NDC, and allocating sheds and stores to only NPP sympathisers.

“For this reason we cannot sit down unconcerned for people who suffered and toiled for the market to come to being to be denied their rightful places all in the name of politics”, he pointed out.

“What sort of mischievous divide and rule tactic is this? Are we not all Ghanaians? Why should some people be denied the opportunity because they belong to a different party,” he asked?