I have committed no crime – Ken Ofori-Atta
The beleaguered Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has categorically denied the claims of egregious economic mismanagement and conflicts of interest that were leveled against him by the Minority caucus in the House of Representatives.
Mr. Ofori-Atta gave his response to the allegations on the floor of Parliament after the debate on the report by the ad hoc committee of Parliament that was established to investigate the allegations. He stated that he has done nothing wrong and that the allegations against him are politically motivated.
“If I declare that I am innocent, they [the minority] won’t believe me, and if I ask for the truth and proof, they won’t be able to deliver it.” If I say that I am innocent, they will not believe me. Mr. Ofori-Atta claimed on Thursday that he had not performed any illegal acts.
The members of the Minority Caucus have presented a resolution of censure to the Finance Minister, in which they accuse him of serious mismanagement of the economy, financial irresponsibility, a conflict of interest, and mishandling of the economy in general.
The discussion that was due to take place on Wednesday but was pushed back to Thursday centered on the question of whether or not the House should vote to remove Mr. Ofori-Atta from his position as Speaker of the House.
On November 25, 2022, the report made by the eight-person ad hoc committee that Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin had put together to look into the motion against the Finance Minister was given to Parliament.
Some members of the Majority caucus have said that they agree with the opposition party MPs’ demand that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo fire Mr. Ofori-Atta from his job as Finance Minister. However, they have said that they will not support the motion to censure the minister.