The Minority in Parliament has demanded the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over alleged financial irregularities in the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa, threatening to initiate a motion of censure if President John Dramani Mahama fails to remove him from office.
Addressing the media in Parliament, Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Samuel Abu Jinapor said fresh revelations had raised serious concerns about the handling of public funds during the evacuation exercise.
The Damongo MP, who had earlier defended the minister against allegations of wrongdoing, said further inquiries had uncovered discrepancies in payment records and other documents relating to the exercise.
The Minority cited alleged duplicated entries, missing supporting documents, payments recorded without signatures and reports of evacuees who claimed they had not received their full allowances.
Mr. Jinapor renewed the Minority’s call for a comprehensive independent audit of the exercise by an internationally reputable accounting firm to establish how the funds were spent.
The group said its concerns followed an examination of documents provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after a request under the Right to Information (RTI) law.
According to the Minority, the documents revealed inconsistencies between the minister’s public statements on the expenditure and the information contained in the payment records.
The group said subsequent inquiries and independent media investigations had uncovered further discrepancies that required explanation.
Mr. Jinapor also rejected allegations that the Minority had paid some evacuees to speak against the government, insisting that those who had raised concerns did so voluntarily.
“At no point in time did the Minority engage, pay and/or convince any of these evacuees to speak against the government,” the group said.
The Minority further expressed concern over reports that the Ghana High Commission in Pretoria had warned evacuees against speaking to the media about the exercise.
Deputy Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Nana Asafo-Adjei, who presented the details of the Minority’s further inquiries, also questioned the credibility of the documents submitted to Parliament.
He accused the minister of manufacturing evidence, citing what the Minority described as inconsistencies in the records and discrepancies between the amounts reportedly paid and what some evacuees said they had received.
The Minority argued that the allegations warranted an independent investigation and called on Mr. Ablakwa to step aside to allow the process to proceed without interference.
It also called on President Mahama to terminate the minister’s appointment if he failed to resign, citing Article 81(a) of the 1992 Constitution.
The group further warned that it would consider initiating a motion of censure against the minister under Article 82 of the Constitution and Order 138 of Parliament’s Standing Orders if he remained in office.
