Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng
Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, has denied allegations of conflict of interest levelled against him by the NDC MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Questioning the payment of GH¢2.6 million paid to a company named JNS Talent Centre Limited by the National Cathedral, Okudzeto Ablakwa said Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng appeared to be using questionable means to divert funds from the National Cathedral Project to himself.
According to him, the company that received the GH¢2.6m is “owned by a protégé of the Founder of Power Chapel Worldwide, who is also one of the directors, using the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng. The two are therefore one and the same,” Ablakwa wrote on Facebook.
Rebuttal
But the man of God is fighting back, asserting that there has never been any criminal intent nor any crime committed in his dealings with the Government or the National Cathedral.
“I have taken note of some defamatory publications and allegations made against my person by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu. I am also informed that Mr. Ablakwa has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the said allegations he has levelled against me.
“I wish to assure the general public that the statements made by Mr. Ablakwa are a twisted narration of events to pursue a malicious political agenda. There has never been any criminal intent nor any crime committed in my dealings with the Government of Ghana or the National Cathedral,” he intimated.
He added, “I look forward to the (CHRAJ) enquiry during which I will present my side of the matter to the Commission. I will subsequently also address the matters fully in public without first seeking to prejudice the public mind as he has done.”
Legal Action
Rev. Kusi Boateng said additionally, when all is done, he would seek redress against the North Tongu MP for his “deliberate defamatory statements” against him, pointing out that he would continuously contribute his quota to the National Cathedral project and offer his services to the country to the best of his ability.
Secretariat Statement
Earlier, the National Cathedral Secretariat issued a statement on the issue, describing it as another false accusation following the January 7 memo refutation of false claims made against it.
The statement, signed by Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, Executive Director, National Cathedral of Ghana, said “this time, and using information from the same documentation submitted by the Secretariat to Parliament on December 15, 2022, the National Cathedral is said to have made illegal payments totaling GH¢2.6 million to a company called JNS.”
“As a normal verification – expected of a Member of Parliament – would have revealed, this was not an illegal payment but rather a refund of a short-term interest free loan made by JNS to top up the payments to the contractors of the National Cathedral,” the statement explained.
It added, “This support was sought from a National Cathedral Trustee Member, Rev. Kusi Boateng, in a letter dated August 26, 2021 due to a delay in the receipt of funds to pay the contractors on time.”
“The GH¢2.6 million was paid from the JNS account to the National Cathedral account on August 27, 2021, following a request from Rev. Kusi Boateng to his bankers, ADB,” the statement said, noting that the GH¢2.6m was refunded to Rev. Kusi Boateng, and JNS on September 8, 2021.
The secretariat reiterated that a project of this nature that significantly raises the issues of faith and national development will always have its discontents, malcontents, as well as those who would use lies, and reckless populist statements to give the impression of wanting accountability.
“In our vibrant democracy, this is to be expected,” it pinned, and continued, “We do expect that the basic values of verification, particularly by Members of Parliament, would be followed.”
According to the secretariat, the board and management of the National Cathedral Project remain focused and committed to the completion of the National Cathedral, and would continue to do so with diligence, integrity, excellence, and accountability.
By Ernest Kofi Adu