Provide documents to support your claim – Gabby to Minority on censure motion

Lawyer for Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is demanding particulars and evidence to back the Minority’s allegations of incompetence against the minister for which reason they are demanding his exit from office through a vote of censure.

Mr Gabby Otchere-Darko, lawyer for Mr Ofori-Atta made the demand today, Tuesday, 15 November 2022, at the first sitting of the eight-member bipartisan committee to investigate conflict of interest allegations levelled against Mr Ofori-Atta by the minority caucus.

The evidence according to Mr Otchere-Darko will enable his client to respond fairly to the allegations based on which his removal is being pushed for.

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu and Ranking Member on Finance Committee, Cassiel Ato Forson who represented the Minority to give evidence to support the motion on censure against the Finance Minister listed the documents they will be relying on which all happens to be public documents such as the Auditor General’s report of 2019, 2020 and 2021, Budget statement, President Akufo-Addo’s address on the economy, PIAC report among others.

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin put the committee together on Thursday, 10 November 2022 when the minority caucus moved a motion of censure against Mr Ofori-Atta for mismanaging the Ghanaian economy.

The other committee members include Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings and Bernard Ahiafor (from the minority caucus) and Patrick Yaw Boamah, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi and Andrew Agyapa Mercer (from the majority caucus).

The committee has seven working days to finish its work and submit a report.

“The evidence will be placed before the committee", Mr Bagbin told the house, adding: "The minister will have the opportunity to defend himself".

"A report will be presented to the house and we will debate that report,” Mr Bagbin noted.

In the view of the minority caucus, Mr Ofori-Atta has run the economy down and cannot be trusted to superintend his own mess.