This is following a petition filed by the Minority Cheif Whip, Hon. Muntaka Mubarak seconded by Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa [ads1]requesting the speaker to summon parliament investigate the allegeations that govenment through the Ministry of Trades and Industry has allegedly extorted $100,000 from some expatriate businessmen and women to incur for the chance to sit close to the President at the recently held Ghana Expatrate Business Awards organised by the Millennium Excellence Awards in collaboration with Ministry of Trade.
President Akufo-Addo had summoned the Minister of Trades and Industry, Hon. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen to furnish his [the president] office with details on the issues.
Mr. Kyerematen was however, cleared of any wrongdoing after responding to the President but the minority was however not satisfied with the President’s statement on the issue discribing it as a complete cover up.
The MPs Petition
A memorandum from the Minority Chief Whip and MP for Asawase, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka on Wednesday said the petitioners constitute “more than fifteen percent (15%) of all the members of parliament”.
Members of the Minority have accused the Trade and Industry Ministry of levying expatriates who participated in the recently held Ghana Expatriate Business Awards in Accra.
The expatriates were allegedly asked by the ministry to pay from USD25,000 to USD100,000 to sit close to the President, Nana Akufo-Addo.
Muntaka had earlier claimed the fees charged at the Ghana Expatriate Business Awards were not approved by Parliament.
“Monies collected were also not accounted for in the ministry’s internally generated funds”- he stated.
Govenment’s postion
Government in a statement issued by the Information Ministry cleared the Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, of any wrongdoing in charging the expatriates.
But the Minority in Parliament are bent on pushing the issue further. They are therefore asking the Speaker of the house to summon a meeting, invoking Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 38(1) of Parliament’s Standing Orders.
The motion seconded by the MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa read in part:
“We the undersigned Members of Parliament from the respective constituencies indicated against our names and comprising of more than fifteen percent (15%) of all the members of parliament, HEREBY, request for a meeting of parliament and humbly request of the Speaker of Parliament to summon a meeting of Parliament for the consideration of the following proposed urgent Agenda.”