Expatriates fail to appear before “cash-for-seat” committee, adjourns indefinitely

Expatriates expected to testify before the five-member Parliamentary Committee tasked to investigate alleged extortion claims at the 2017 Ghana Expatriates Business Awards failed to appear before the committee today Tuesday, January 16.

The committee supposed to present its report to Parliament on January 24, 2018, had to suspend sitting indefinitely.

Chairman of the committee Kwasi Ameyaw Cheremeh said letters have been served the expatriate community to appear before the committee but none showed up. 

“…So we adjourn and probably contact them again to appear before us at a later date to be determined by the Committee. We will give them that opportunity to appear before us,” he added.

The Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Mubarak-Muntaka, North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyeremateng as well as officials from the Millennium Excellence Foundation, organizers of the Ghana Expatriates Business Awards, have so far appeared before the committee.

Parliament forms committee to probe expatriate ‘extortion’ claims

The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Aaron Oquaye, set up a five-member committee to investigate claims that the Trade Ministry extorted $100,000 from expatriates to allow them to sit close to the President during the Ghana Expatriates Business Awards held in the country.

According to the Speaker, the Committee is expected to submit its report to the House “as soon as possible, one day after our recall which is 24th [January 2018].”

The members of the committee include; Ameyaw Kyeremeh, Majority Chief Whip,(Chairman of Committee) Dr Assibey Yeboah, Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, and Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, MP for Adentan.
Other members are; James Klutsey Avedzie, Deputy Minority Leader, and Dominic Ayine, the MP for Bolgatanga East.

Background

The Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, first made the allegation in Parliament.

The Minority Chief Whip said the fees charged at the Ghana Expatriate Business Awards (GEBA) were not approved by Parliament, adding that the monies were also not accounted for in the Internally Generated Funds [IGF] of the Ministry’s accounts.

The issue has further been reinforced by Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Okudzeto Ablakwa, who suffered verbal assaults from Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah over the matter.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has already dissociated itself from these allegations.

www.primenewsghana.com/ Ghana News