Why sack Adu Boahen now? – Mensah Thompson to Akufo-Addo

Executive Director of the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson, has said that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo deserves no plaudits for sacking the Minister of State in Charge of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen.

According to him, the president should have sacked Adu Boahen long ago, but he failed despite calls by many Ghanaians, including members of his (Akufo-Addo’s) own party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

In an interview with Joy News, Mensah Thompson added that the conflict of interest allegations against Adu Boahen were more serious than the supposed crime he is being accused of in the Anas exposé.

"Charles Adu Boahen should have been fired long ago. And so, why now? Because there were even more serious allegations of conflict of interest, where Charles Adu Boahene has been accused of using his company, Black Star Holdings, as frontrunners and bookrunners for government bonds, making huge commissions in return.

"Those allegations are more serious than the $200,000 he was collecting in Dubai because that borders on the integrity of the office.

"And so today, the president said he is sacking him. When 80 MPs were crying that he should sack him, the president said, I won’t barge… There is nothing to be happy about," he said.

"The sacking of Charles Adu Boahen unless linked up with the sacking of Ken Ofori-Atta and the total liberation of the Finance Ministry from data bankers. That is only when we shall be satisfied," he added.

The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, sacked his Minister of State in Charge of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen, on Monday, November 14, 2022.

This was contained in a statement issued by the presidency on Monday, which indicated that the dismissal was to take effect immediately.

"The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has terminated the appointment of the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Charles Adu Boahen, with immediate effect," the statement read.

Providing reasons for the dismissal, the president said that it was based on the knowledge that allegations of corruption had been leveled against the minister.

The allegations, the statement added, are in line with an undercover investigative piece that is yet to be shown by Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

The statement added that the Office of the Special Prosecutor was to investigate the matter.

"After being made aware of the allegations levelled against the Minister in the exposé, ‘Galamsey Economy’, the President spoke to Mr. Adu Boahen, after which he took the decision to terminate his appointment, and also to refer the matter to the Special Prosecutor for further investigations.

Earlier, GhanaWeb reported how Charles Adu Boahen was implicated in the investigative video as follows:

Charles Adu Boahen, Minister of State in Charge of Finance, has alleged that Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, needs just USD200,000 as an appearance fee and some positions by an investor for his siblings to get his backing and influence in establishing a business in Ghana, Anas Aremeyaw Anas has reported.

Watch the interview below:

You can also watch this edition of GhanaWeb Special:

You can also watch this episode of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV:

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