Cash-for-seat scandal: Organisers of expatriates awards to sue some minority members

Organisers of Ghana Expatriates Awards 2017, Millennium Excellence Foundation has disclosed that the organizing firm is considering a lawsuit against some members of the Minority who alleged that monies were taken from expatriates at the 2017 edition of the awards.

Millennium Excellence Foundation has described as irresponsible and destructive falsehood the allegations leveled against them by the minority members and are likely to go to court.

The firm said Minority MPs – Muntaka Mubarak and Okudzeto Ablakwa should be stripped of any parliamentary immunity to enable them drag them to court because their actions were “irresponsible.”

Lawyer for the firm, Peter Zwennes said: “The propagation of such irresponsible and destructive falsehood made against my client should not be availed the cloak of parliamentary immunity which if had been said in anywhere else in the open will certainly be giving rise to a meritorious court action in defamation. The foundation is still considering its options and they are still available to us.”

But Minority MP for North Tongu in the Volta Region Samuel Okudzeto said the facts and the truth in the cash for seat scandal at the Ghana Expatriates Awards have always been on the side of the Minority.

In a Facebook post, he said: “I am not one to be intimidated in the discharge of my constitutional duties, therefore, I can't wait to appear before the Privileges Committee or any other Committee as the Speaker may so direct considering that I am of the fullest conviction and the clearest of conscience that the facts and the truth are and have always been on our side.”

Samuel Okudzeto added that Ghanaians have always been discerning and know Founder Chairman Ambassador President Ashim Morton cannot take President Akufo-Addo's place. More fundamentally; Ghanaians know it cannot be right, ethical, moral, legal nor conscionable to sell access to the President of Ghana to the highest bidder.

Trade Ministry engaged in serious ethical violations-Minority

 Minority members on the cash-for-seat committee task by Parliament to probe allegations against the Trade Ministry for charging between $25,000 and $100,000, to enable expatriates to sit close to President Akufo-Addo at the Ghana Expatriates Business Awards said the Trade Ministry has engaged in serious ethical violations.

The two members from the Minority side, James Klutse Avedzi and Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine in a dissent report said: "The Trade Ministry and Industry engaged in serious ethical violations by allowing its credibility as a public agency to be used to amass profit for a private non-profit organization which it cannot hold to public standards of accountability as well as by using the name of the President of the Republic as a means to make such profit."

Trade Ministry cleared of any wrongdoing

Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen and officials of the Ministry of Trade and Industry have been cleared of any wrongdoing by the  5-member ad hoc committee of Parliament following extortion allegations made against the ministry.

The 5-member Committee while presenting a 146-page report to Parliament for approval, February 6, 2018, stated: “… After the hearings and the analysis and evaluation of the evidence adduced before it has come to a conclusion that there is no merit in the allegations leveled against the Ministry of Trade and Industry as contained in the Motion and which culminated in the setting up of the Special Committee.”

www.primenewsghana.com/ Ghana News