MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
North Tongu lawmaker, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is jeopardising his political career with his persistence in levelling false accusations against Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey regarding the purchase of a property in Oslo, Norway for a Chancery, Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament has said.
According to Mr Annoh-Dompreh, no agreement has been reached by the government for anybody to impute criminality in the first place.
Mr Ablakwa had accused Ms Ayorkor Botchwey of cost inflation in connection with Ghana’s attempt to buy a property in Norway to serve as its Chancery, an allegation the sector minister had denied.
Although the minister denied the accusations, Mr Ablakwa went a step further to petition President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to investigate the matter, a petition the president has dismissed as “empty of substance”.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, 20 December 2018, Mr Annoh-Dompreh, who is also the MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, said the conduct of Mr Ablakwa is destroying his own career as a young man.
“This clearly is an offer being put out there by an offeree, it has not been accepted, so, it cannot become a binding agreement. You don’t need to be a lawyer to know this. I called him [Ablakwa] and pointed it out to him that he may be doing his mischief but if he is not careful, he will destroy his reputation as a young man. There is no contract existing,” he said.
He added: “You have a minister that has been very cooperative to us, right from we touring the foreign missions, and any time we had called on her, she has been very cooperative.
“The ministry provided this information, and of course, a letter from the Ministry of Finance, which captured a certain GHS15 million. How on earth will anybody impute criminality or criminal intent to somebody who has been so transparent to us.
“You have written a letter demanding further and better particulars, she has followed up on the letter religiously and provided these further and better particulars. If the minister had an intent of defrauding the state, she wouldn’t have displayed all these figures to us.
“The so-called $16.5 million is the offeree’s offer being put on the table, it has not been accepted, so, it cannot become a binding agreement.
