Rev Ntim Fordjour
Tempers went up in Parliament on Friday as the MP for Assin South,Rev Ntim Fordjour called for a Parliamentary inquiry into the airbus scandal to uncover the identities of the Government Official 1 and Intermediary 5, who were named as the local accomplices in the international saga.
Rev John Ntim Fordjour made the request in a statement he read on the floor of the House urging the House to lift the veil on the said officials whose identity still remains a mystery.
According to the Assin South MP such an inquiry remains the only true way of putting the matter to rest.
The move by Rev Ntim Fordjour comes despite ongoing investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor following the referral of the matter to him by President Akufo Addo to study the ruling by the UK’s Crown Court and advise him accordingly.
According to the facts of that case which judgement was delivered last week, Airbus SE, allegedly doled out financial inducements to some government officials in some countries including Ghana for the benefit of contracts. Reading the statement, Rev Ntim Fordjour narrated how the expose had brought international embarrassment to the country hence the need to ensure full accountability to the people .
However , the MP for Banda and Deputy Minority Leader Hon Ahmed Ibrahim said Hon Ntim Fordjour violated order 93 ( 1) of Parliament by making the statement because order 93 (1) does not allow members to make such request on matters which are already under judicial inquiry and in this case the Special Prosecutor hence Rev Ntim Fordjour’s request should be disallowed by the Speaker.
The Speaker RT Hon Prof Michael Aaron Oquaye after the heated argument on the matter ruled that Parliament should hold on with regard to the request made by Rev Ntim Fordjour as the Special Prosecutor is currently investigating the issue even though Parliament has the power to inquire into any issue of public interest .