Sports Ministry ‘stinks’ - Ursula Owusu

The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West has launched a blistering attack at the Sports Ministry over recent reports that the ministry’s expenditure in 2012 exceeded its budgetary allocation, saying the conduct was a “naked rape” of the public kitty.

He, therefore, demanded that the ministry renders account on the activities that led to the enormous expenditure.

The Youth and Sports Ministry was reported to have misappropriated funds to a tune of Ghc200m in 2012 and is faced with a challenge to account for its expenses.

Government last year set up a committee which was chaired by Nii Adotey Din Barima to investigate the circumstances that led to the embarrassing feat of the national athletics team during the 2011 All African Games in Maputo-Mozambique.

The report indicted the former Head of the National Sports Authority, Mr. Worlanyo Agrah and the Chief Sports Development Officer of the Sports Authority, Erasmus Adorkor, who were said to have misappropriated some funds allocated for the athletics team.

Though the sector minister, Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, on the floor of Parliament yesterday indicated that the ministry has given an ultimatum to the members to respond to the allegations or face prosecution, the NPP MP has expressed disappointment in the ministry for ‘harbouring’ such malfeasance.

Madam Owusu believed the delayed disclosure may be an attempt to conceal the misconduct in order to protect the government.

Consequently, she called on the ministry to get to the ‘bottom of the case’ and described the act as shameful to the country’s nascent democracy.