The Ministry of Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Tuesday, made a passionately appeal to Parliament to charge Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka for willfully causing financial loss to the State.
In the view of the Trade and Industry Minister, since the allegation of extortion of money levelled against the Ministry by Muntaka and Okudzeto Abkakwa had no merit on the face of the evidence adduced from the investigations conducted by the five-member Adhoc Committee, it would therefore be prudent to charge the accusers for causing financial loss to the State.
He said the whole gamut as was championed by the Minority Chief and Ablakwa brought huge cost to the state which must not be easily glossed over by the legislature.
Mr. Kyerematen made this appeal to the Speaker of the House after the five-member Adhoc Committee that was tasked to probe the alleged cash for seat saga dismissed the allegation and exonerated the Ministry of Trade and Industry from any wrong doing.
Background
On January 5, 2018, Hon. Munta moved a motion at an emergency Parliamentary sitting calling on the House to investigate the levy and collection by the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Ghana Cedi equivalent of various sums of money up to US$100,000.00 from expatriate businesses and related matters during the recently held Ghana Expatriate Business Awards in Accra.
According to him, some documents at his disposal clearly showed that some monies were collected from expatriates, noting that such was unethical.
The motion was seconded by the MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
But the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu debating the motion told the House that the mover of the motion himself did not sign the affidavit attached to his motion.
Apart from that 28 MPs whose names were captured in the list of 77 as having signed the affidavit calling for the emergency sitting had no signature against their names.
He told the House that based on the procedural irregularities which he considered to be gross abuse of the processes of Parliament, it was important for the Speaker to dismiss “what we have before us is incompetence”.
The Speaker having listened to the various arguments advanced by members directed that a five-member Adhoc Committee be set up to probe the matter and report to the House accordingly.
The five are; Majority Chief Whip, Kwesi Ameyaw Cheremeh, Chairman, MP for Adenta, Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, MP for New Juabeng South, Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah, MP for Ketu North, James Klutse Avedzi and MP for Bolgatanga, Dominic Ayeni.
It was to investigate how payments were disbursed and whether the disbursements offended any laws.
It was to also investigate when the matter arose, whether it could be perceived to be something new that has arisen, whether the matter could have been raised during the regular sitting and also whether the matter had been raised during the last session.
The Committee was directed to submit it report on January 24, 2018.
But the submission of the report was extended twice partly due to the absence of the expatriate businesses and last minute split of the Committee.
But the Committee presenting its report told the House that there was no merit in the allegation levelled against the Ministry of Trade and Industry as contained in the motion filed by Muntaka and seconded by Ablakwa.
