A group calling itself—the Parliamentary News Africa (PNAfrica) is calling on parliament to disclose how was spent on recalling the house to consider a motion by the Minority on the $100.000.00 fee charged expatriates business moguls to sit close to President Akufo-Addo during the Ghana Expatriates Business Awards held last year.
The awards ceremony generated massive controversy after it emerged that expats were asked to pay the whopping amount to share the same table with the President.
After several denials by the Trade and Industry Ministry and demands for the monies to be refunded to the expatriates by the Minority in parliament, the chairman of the Millennium Excellence Foundation—organisers of the event—Victor Gbeho confirmed that the fees were charged.
An amount GH¢2, 667, 215, 00 was raised against an expenditure of GH¢2, 367, 426, 06 per a statement from the Ministry.
Despite the government’s exoneration of the Trade and Industry Minister of any wrong doing, the Minority filed a motion before parliament calling for a bipartisan committee to probe the saga—a request the Speaker Prof Mike Oquaye granted after summoning the house to debate the motion.
Congratulating the Speaker for the “intelligent” manner with which he handled the processes leading to the emergency recall Friday January 5, 2018, PNAfrica urged the House to make public how much of the tax payers’ money was expended on the exercise.
“We call on the Parliamentary Service with the Rt. Hon. Oquaye as Chairman of its Board; and the Clerk of Parliament as the administrative head of Ghana’s legislature, to make public the cost of this emergency recall and previous emergency recalls,” requested PNAfrica in press release dated Saturday January 6, 2018.
The five-member committee
The Speaker of Parliament Friday January 5, 2018 set up a five-member committee to probe the $100.000.00 fee charged expatriates to share the same table with President Akufo-Addo during the Ghana Expatriates Awards held last year.
The investigatory committee is made up of three members from the Majority side of the House and two from the Minority.
They are: Ameyaw Kyeremeh, Majority Chief Whip,l Chair of the Committee, Dr. Assibey Yeboah, Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, and Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, MP for Adentan [all from the Majority].
Those from the Minority are James Klutsey Avedzie, Deputy Minority Leader, and Dominic Ayine, the MP for Bolgatanga East.
The committee has up to January 24 to submit its report.
Source: Ghana/StarrFMonline.com/103.5FM
