Our ‘borla minister’ sitting on millions of dollars at home yet we're hungry – Sam George

The Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Sam Nartey George, has leveled accusations against the current government and its appointees, alleging that they have been deceiving the ordinary Ghanaians.

Speaking on a panel discussion on Joy News over the weekend, he expressed his concerns over what he called a stark contrast between the government's actions of some officials, particularly in the wake of recent allegations against the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources.

Cecilia Abena Dapaah, is reported to have lost funds worth US$1 million, €300,000, and 350,000 Ghana cedis from her home. Her two house helps are standing trial with three others for the theft.

According to the MP, it is ironic that government advises citizens not to hoard foreign currency but rather sell it, while some high-ranking officials seem to keep significant amounts of foreign currency in their homes.

"You know we have a minister of State, you know this is our borla minister for want of a better phrase.

"Our borla minister has a million dollars plus in her home, three hundred thousand Euros, and many millions of Ghana Cedis sitting in her home, and you have your Information Minister telling you to go and sell your dollars, stop holding your dollars," he stated.

He added "It means that the members of the Akufo-Addo’s government clearly are not listening; they are not walking their talk.

"They have a different narrative for us as Ghanaians and a different narrative for those of them in government……if we really paid attention, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo told us, he said ‘we are sitting on money’ but we are hungry, they are sitting on money and we are hungry.”

Meanwhile, the former minister, in her letter of resignation letter addressed to the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, explained that she decided to resign because the issues surrounding the monies could affect the government negatively.

However, she noted that the subject of theft in her home as captured by many reports has been grossly exaggerated.

"Since yesterday, Friday, July 21, 2023, social and traditional media have been full of stories about a court case involving a theft that took place last year in the home I live with my husband and daughter.

"The stories sought to suggest that I own various huge sums of foreign currencies and millions of Ghana cedis which have been stolen from my home. Whereas I can state emphatically that those figures do not represent correctly what my husband and I reported to the Police, I am very much aware of the import of such stories around someone in my position.

"I am resigning therefore because I do not want this matter to become a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government at such a crucial time," parts of the letter read.

Read the full resignation letter below:

????????Sam George says he’s informed that some NPP members are planning to amend Cecilia Dapaah’s charge sheet to reduce the amounts quoted in the theft case against her househelps following the public backlash. #NewsFile pic.twitter.com/eO8oxuMXVC

— Kenneth Awotwe Darko (@TheKennethDarko) July 22, 2023