Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has again exposed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on what he described as calamitous revelations on unconstitutional payments by the Akufo-Addo government purportedly to finance the National Cathedral project.
Earlier, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa promised to make public all payments made by government towards the construction of the National Cathedral project which has become topical issues for discussion in Ghana and beyond.
In a statement, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said, on 29th October, 2020, few weeks to the national elections, the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, acting on a request by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s Chief of Staff, authorized the release of a gargantuan GH¢142,762,500.00 for national cathedral “planned activities.”
He again said, it is of considerable consternation to note that contrary to legal requirements, government concealed this ginormous GH¢142.7 million from Parliament as they deliberately failed to disclose this item as part of their Expenditure Returns of 2020 during the 2021 Budget consideration in Parliament.
He disclosed that, this 2020 cathedral expenditure was also kept away from the Auditor-General in his 2020 audit.
“So far, adding this latest exposé to our previous leaks, the Akufo-Addo government has spent a mind-boggling GH¢199,832,603.00 of taxpayer funds on a cathedral which was originally presented to Ghanaians as a personal pledge to God that will not be executed with taxpayer funds.”
Earlier, the MP has leaked a documents from the Office of the President confirming that in December 2021 alone, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has authorized an astonishing GH¢32,070,103.02 of taxpayer funds to be paid into account 2210801 of Sir David Adjaye & Associates Ltd for consultancy services on new bids opening and interviewing of contractors rendered on the National Cathedral project.
Also, in another leaked document authorized by the Minister of Finance Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta dated 31st March, 2022 has ordered the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to make additional payment of GH¢ 25,000,000.00 as seed money for construction of the National Cathedral to RIBADE limited.
Akufo-Addo’s government blows over GH¢57 million on National Cathedral project
The MP said, “Unfortunately, digging into the tons of documents divinely in our possession, we regret to report to Ghanaians that many more millions have been paid illegally which we shall continue to put out to the glory of God and in the overall national interest. On a further scarier note, the figures we are currently reviewing do not look like anything near a “seed-capital.”
Mr. Ablakwa again said, this GH¢200 million cathedral-gate has turned out to be the biggest presidential scandal in Ghana’s entire history.
Members of Board of Trustees of Ghana’s National Cathedral
“It is terribly shocking how our President and his men could engage in such ungodly, illegal and insensitive conduct. They seem to have absolutely no fear of God?”
He argued that, clearly, in the name of a cathedral project, a corrupt slush fund has been created to siphon taxpayer funds from the suffering masses on the blind side of Parliament, the Auditor-General, CSOs and other accountability systems.
“Instructively, these illegal diversions took place when government was engaged in massive vote-buying to win the 2020 elections; it was also the period COVID-19 had peaked and placed enormous pressure on our health delivery as many Ghanaians died, and yet President Akufo-Addo claimed he couldn’t find the resources to fulfill his Agenda 111 pledge of building new hospitals.”
“I have no doubt in my mind that were Jesus Christ to return to Earth at this moment, He will pick up His whip again and visit Ghana’s cathedral construction site as He did to those who corrupted His Temple in Jerusalem.”
Find attached, the new documents on unconstitutional payments towards National Cathedral project.
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
