An eight-person committee has been established by the Speaker of the House, Alban Bagbin, to investigate the accusations made against Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta by the Minority Caucus.
Dominic Ayine, MP for Bolgatanga East, and KT Hammond, MP for Adansi-Asokwa, will co-chair the eight-person committee.
Members of the majority party include Patrick Boamah, MP for Okaikwei Central, Andrew Agyapa Mercer, MP for Sekondi, and Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, MP for Asante Akim Central.
Members from the Minority are Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, MP for Korle Klottey; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu, and Bernard Ahiafor, MP for Akatsi South.
The committee must complete its work and submit its report to the House within seven working days.
The Minority Caucus filed a motion for a vote of censure against the minister on Thursday, November 10, 2022.
The Speaker’s decision came after the Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, challenged the Minority Motion because the Finance Minister would suffer injustice if the application was approved by the House.
Afenyo-Markin stated that the Minority’s claims were criminal and demanded that the minister be given a fair hearing.
“These matters, upon proper scrutiny, are criminal in nature. The minister should be given a fair hearing,” he said.
“If we go ahead with the application we will be doing a lot of injustice to our colleague. If this application is allowed it will be injustice and unfairness, the Minister wouldn’t have been given adequate time to prepare for his defence,” he added.
Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, on the other hand, stated that President Akufo-Addo was not ready to fire the minister, thus the need for the Speaker to admit the motion.
Iddrisu also urged the Majority Caucus in Parliament to back the move to remove the minister from office.
