Ken Ofori-Atta
Parliament has come under pressure to shelve a move to investigate Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, over issues bordering on conflict of interest, which is seen as the preserve of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
The conflict of interest issue is contained in a motion for censure filed by the NDC Minority MPs to get the minister’s instrument of office revoked.
Veteran journalist, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, has said the move will be an assault on the constitution, calling on Parliament to back off or risk running into “constitutional minefield.”
According to him, the legislature lacks the jurisdiction to investigate any case of conflict of interest, and reminded the House of a similar issue that cropped in 2016 involving the Ford Expedition vehicle saga.
Speaker Alban Bagbin, last Thursday, set up an eight-member committee to investigate issues levelled against the minister and report back to the House for consideration.
The committee, which is co-chaired by NPP MP for Adansi-Asokwa, K.T. Hammond, and NDC MP for Bolgatanga East, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has seven working days to submit its report to the House.
Motion Issues
Among the issues raised by the Minority to pass a vote of censure on the minister is poor economic performance, “despicable” conflict of interest, unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral; legal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution; and deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament.
Baako Contention
However, in a text message sent to a current affairs programme on Metro TV, Mr. Kweku Baako contended that Parliament had no such jurisdiction to investigate issues of conflict of interest as contained in the motion.
“Interesting! Parliament has no jurisdiction to interrogate the issue of conflict of interest! Per Article 287 of the Constitution, it is CHRAJ that is vested with the exclusive jurisdiction to investigate complaints under Chapter 24 of the Constitution,” he noted.
The veteran journalist continued, “Indeed, I want to believe Sammy is very conversant with this point because the Supreme Court amplified that point in the Okudzeto Ablakwa/Omane Boamah vrs Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey and Attorney General case.”
He said the former Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, guided by the verdict of the Supreme Court, refused to admit the motion on the Ford Expedition vehicle saga which was brought against ex-President John Dramani Mahama on September 1, 2016.
“The allegation of conflict of interest, if it is indeed contained in the motion for censure, may run into a constitutional minefield both at the ad-hoc committee level and outside Parliament, unless it is tabled before CHRAJ for determination,” he argued further.
By Ernest Kofi Adu