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Parliament forms committee to probe expatriate ‘extortion’ claims

By PrimeNewsGhana
Speaker of Parliament, Prof Aaron Mike Ocquaye
Speaker of Parliament, Prof Aaron Mike Ocquaye
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The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Aaron Oquaye, has 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.

The Speakers decision to reconvene Members of Parliament comes after the Minority wrote to the Speaker urging him to call for an emergency sitting over claims that expatriates were charged huge amounts by the Ministry of Trade and Industry in order for them to sit close Members of Parliament were recalled from recess for a special sitting today, Friday January 5 2018, over the issue upon the request of the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak.

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.

The Trade Ministry, in a statement, said it played no role in determining prices for seats at the event and clarified that it only facilitated the implementation of a new initiative by the Millennium Excellence Foundation.

 

primenewsghana.com/Ghana News

 

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