Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, yesterday challenged the wrong notion that expatriate businessmen who sat with President Akufo-Addo at the high table during the Ghana Expatriate Business Awards were made to pay $100,000 as a levy before being granted the opportunity to sit there.
The minister appeared before the ‘Cash for Seat’ committee set up by the Speaker of Parliament to probe the claim by the minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the ministry extorted monies from expatriate business people before being given the opportunity to share the same table with the president at the event – which was organized at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra on December 4.
He was mad with Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu in the Volta Region, for claiming that the money paid by the expatriates was extorted.
Mr Kyerematen said Ablakwa could not make value judgement on the allegation and at the same time call for a probe.
He said nobody was forced to pay any money and that some of the business persons who sat with the president never paid a dime.
During cross-examination by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for New Juaben South and member of the committee, Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah, the minister said nobody was asked to pay anything and that people who sat on the presidential high table only decided to make voluntary contribution towards the successful organization of the event.
He went further to say that out of the 17 people who sat on the high table, only seven people made various contributions – not up to $100,000 – before the event, while three others also made contributions after the event.
According to Mr Alan Kyerematen, it was only the chief executive officer (CEO) of Interplast Group of Companies, Saied Fakhry, who voluntarily donated an amount of $100,000 towards the programme; and even that money was paid after the event.
The trade and industry minister indicated that the reference being made to Mr Saied Fakhry by other witnesses who appeared before the committee as one of the people who paid $100,000, is very erroneous because he (Fakhry), who is the only person who paid that amount, did so because of his special relationship with the president.
“Mr Chairman, I really find it very intriguing for our friends in the minority to say that these were levies imposed on expatriate businesses because Mr Fakhry has been a long time friend of President Nana Akufo-Addo. In fact, Mr Fakhry has known the president for over 40 years and has even hired the services of the president as a lawyer before,” he said, stressing that because of that existing relationship between Mr Fakhry and the president, the former decided to make that donation as part of sponsorship for the programme.
He said there was someone who sat on the table and paid as low as GH¢13,000 as donation towards the successful organization of the event.
According to the minister, those who sat on the high table with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo were himself (Alan Kyerematen); Carlos Ahenkorah, Deputy Trade Minister; Ashim Morton, President of Millennium Excellence Foundation (organizers of the programme); Amarh Hari, Chief Executive of IPMC; Ashok Mohinani, Chairman of Mohinani Group; Salem Kalmoni, Chief Executive of Japan Motors; former President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife; Saied Fakhry; Roshi Motman, Chief Executive of AirtelTigo Ghana; Jim O’Brien, Founder and Executive Chairman of Zenith Bank Group and Bhagwan Khubchandani, Chief Executive of Melcom Ghana.
The rest were David Haper, Chief Executive of Geodrill Ghana; Mike Tacwani, Chief Executive of B Pipe Plus Ghana; Yofi Grant, CEO of GIPC; Yeo Ziobeieton, Chief Executive of Unilever Ghana and Ishmael Ashitey, Greater Accra Regional Minister.
He said the NPP government, being a champion of the private sector development, easily bought into the idea of the Millennium Excellence Foundation of organizing this event to reward private business people who had contributed immensely to the development of the country.
He said the Ministry of Trade and Industry therefore went into agreement with the Foundation under a written Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), spelling out all the conditions under which the event would be organized, with the Foundation taking sole responsibility of mobilizing funds.
The minister indicated that the expatriate businessmen were very happy about the event, which the ministry was even contemplating doing it every two years together with a private partner.
Mr Kyerematen explained that at the event, the Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Henry Oroh, who gave brief remarks, was overwhelmed by the success of the programme and the motive, which was to help attract more private investments into the country.
The minister said there was nothing fishy about the event and that there are official documents covering every aspect of the programme, including all monies collected.
The minority members on the committee, Dr Dominic Ayine and James Klutse Avedzi, had tried very hard to pin the minister down on the involvement of the presidency in the organization of the event, but he said the presidency had nothing to do with the organization of the programme, even though it (presidency) was officially informed about it.
Source: Daily Guide
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Hahaha who jabs who thiefffssss live daily guide and Alan are the people who jabs ablakwa are we serious at all I listen to both presentations and de most was far far better dat de minister all wat de moni said was based on their own documents seriously ghana is sinking at a very fast pace npp is a party dat is hungRyan to pay third debtors hence all this ***barred word***ķ
POINT IS, DR. BAWUMIA HAS ALWAYS SAID THESE MINORITY PEOPLE DO NOT READ AND WHERE THEY READ DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY READ. IT IS INDEED INTRIGUING HOW MUNTAKA AND ABLAKWA WERE DEFINING VARIOUS WORDS AT THE SITTING AND ONE COULD JUST CONCLUDE THAT HERE ARE PERSONS WHO ARE NOT LITERATE GOING BY THEIR SUPPOSED STATUS AS UNIVERSITY GRADUATES. CONSTITUENTS BETTER LOOK FOR BETTER CANDIDATES. AS FOR MUNTAKA THE EARLIER THE MINORITY WITHDREW HIM AS CHIEF WHIP THE BETTER. HE APPEARS INCOMPETENT SINCE HE ONLY KNOWS HOW TO MAKE LAWS BUT CANNOT INTERPRETE LAWS. HIS RESPONSES WERE RATHER POROUS. BY THE WAY I THINK MUNTAKA AND ABLAKWA ARE GAINING NOTORIETY FOR FAKE NEWS. THEY SHOULD BE CAREFUL HOW THEY MALIGN PEOPLE OTHERWISE THEY WILL HAVE A SAD END.
NDC Mps at parliament made allegation of extortion and corruption against the Trade and Industry Ministry. The President of Ghana took immediate action to investigate the matter and exonerating Trade and Industry Ministry from any wrongdoing. NDC MPs were dissatisfied and called for emergency conveyance of parliament from recess for the Christmas. The Speaker and the NPP Majority of Parliament judged the NDC proposal incompetent but agreed to set up a five-member committee to investigate the "cash for seats"allegation which has revealed the following facts. 1. Private Sector Industries establishing partnership with Trade and Industry Ministry to undertake a joint project to acknowledge and promote expatriate industries in Ghana. 2. The Trade and Industry Ministry established MOU with the Private Sector Body to execute the the project. 3.The Ministry was engaged to provide official recognition and supervision. 3.The Private Sector Body was responsible for execution of the project. 4.Project was to be pre-financed by the Private Sector Body and its expenditure to be reimbursed from earning of the project. 5.Donations To the project to be deposited with the Ministry to ascertain accountability of the donations in order to inspire trust and confidence of donors. 6.Presidency not involved in the organization of the project but informed and invited to the function. 7.Project executed on date according to MOU. 8. Donation to project categorised but voluntary. 9. Donations deposited with ministry as agreed in MOU and acknowledged with receipts. 10. Payments for project justified without any challenge. 11. Internal auditing carried out within a month of event of project. 12. No complaint made and no fault established by any of the players of event. 13. NDC Chief Whip, Mustapha, abandons claims of extortion and corruption, but insists the call for investigation was necessary for clarity. 14. NDC Okudjeto Ablakwah admits of not having enough facts of project and event. He abandons the claim of levy but thinks the donation is extortion and corruption because Rawlings, Ken. Agyapong, PC Appiah Ofori, Integrity Initiative and other persons or groups has expressed similar concerns about his allegation. He further claims that the NDC MPs allegation captured the attention of of BBC and other international Media so it was necessary to call for the emergency of parliament. The investigation was uncalled for. It was waste of time and resources. However it has justified Nana Addo and vindicated Alan and the Trade and Industry Ministry. It has revealed for the second time the manipulation of Minority Chief Whip, Mustapha by NDC Party to make him stupiddddd in the eyes of ghanaians. It has also reveaed Okodjato as, rushinggg, myyopic, illogicalll, and adamantttt. He has not yat grown by coming to parliament but continue to be immatureeed. He needs to grow. Another important revelation about the investigation is that it is now moving away from investigation to auditing of Trade and Industry Ministry as it appears in the questions of the Deputy Minority Leader. I don't know if after his interrogation the Trade and Industry Ministry would still be audited by the Controller and Accountant General Department for their usual periodic auditing of the ministries.
Hon okudzeto on his day with the committee did say he was as at now not impugning any wrong doing but has facilitated its investigation through the speaker's committee. Yet in a memoranda to the committee he lashed out saying this cash for seat was a disgraceful act and has injured Ghana internationally. What does he think that meant. He had contradicted himself. This is what happens when you have certain immature personalities with hidden agenda occupying places of trust. In one breadth he was waiting for outcome then in another he draws his conclusion. Empty barrel.
THESE NOISY FEW IN THE NDC MINORITY CAUCUS ARE DOING THIS SO IF THEY ARE HAULED BEFORE THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR THEY WILL SAY THEY ARE BEING PERSECUTED FOR KEEPING THE GOVT ON ITS TOES. SHALAI PISHWA.....
Were motivated by evil motivation
The create, l00t and share NDC party is only good when they are in opposition.... I wonder what Okudzeto will say about the rotten bus branding scandal executed by Dzifa Attivor..... I cannot see any corruption in this cash for seat noise by the NDC.... What is called corruption is bus branding, Wayome, SADA, GYEDA, SNNIT scandal, $9M DVLA to err is human.... name the rest. NDC hypocrates did nothing about these scandals. We must keep them in opposition forever.