National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency, Okudzeto Ablakwa says he is unperturbed by the Speaker of Parliament’s referral of the report presented by the Committee that investigated alleged extortion of expatriates during the 2017 Ghana Expatriates Business Awards, to the Privileges Committee.
According to Ablakwa, who was adamant on the allegations that the Ministry of Trade and organizers of the awards collected monies ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 from the expatriates to enable them to sit close to President Akufo-Addo at the awards, he cannot be intimidated by the directive.
“I am not one to be intimidated in the discharge of my constitutional duties, therefore, I can’t wait to appear before the Privileges Committee or any other Committee as the Speaker may so direct considering that I am of the fullest conviction and the clearest of conscience that the facts and the truth are and have always been on our side,” he added in a Facebook post.
The Speaker of Parliament on Tuesday referred the findings of the 5-member ad-hoc committee to the privileges committee tasking the committee to investigate the source of the allegations and other related matters.
This follows the adoption of the 146-page report of the committee chaired by Majority Chief Whip, Kwasi Ameyaw Cheremeh, which exonerated the Trades and Industry Ministry and organizers of the awards of any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the Minority has said the adopted report is far from the truth and thus, did not participatein the debate on Tuesday.
And Ablakwa, who was one of the main witnesses in the case believes the Majority is trying to suppress the Minority’s views. adding that such an action “can only amount to a travesty in Parliament [and] is a pathetic addition to the countless comedy of contradictions and conflicting accounts that Government has been engaged in since this scandal erupted.”
Ashim Morton to sue Ablakwa, Muntaka?
In a related development, the Millennium Excellence Foundation, the organization that hosted the awards, has said it is considering a court action against two minority Members of Parliament over the cash-for-seat allegations.
According to the lawyer for the foundation, Peter Zwennes, the two MPs – Okudzeto Ablakwa and the Minority Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak, should be stripped of any parliamentary immunity in order for them to be dragged to court, because their actions were “irresponsible.”
“The propagation of such irresponsible and destructive falsehood made against my client should not be availed the cloak of parliamentary immunity which, if had been said in anywhere else in the open, will certainly be giving rise to a meritorious court action in defamation. The foundation is still considering its options and they are still available to us,” the lawyer stated at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday.
Below is Ablakwa’s full post:
Rather a farcical fatal tragedy that the Majority in Parliament could not suppress partisan interest in favour of their conscience and the national interest in the Cash for Seat Scandal.
Thankful to God, the proceedings of the Special Committee were conducted in the full glare of the public making today’s attempted cover-up in Parliament laughable and an exercise in futility.
Ghanaians have always been discerning and know Founder Chairman Ambassador President Ashim Morton cannot take President Akufo-Addo’s place. More fundamentally; Ghanaians know it cannot be right, ethical, moral, legal nor conscionable to sell access to the President of Ghana to the highest bidder.
Today’s charade which can only amount to a travesty in Parliament is a pathetic addition to the countless comedy of contradictions and conflicting accounts that Government has been engaged in since this scandal erupted.
I am not one to be intimidated in the discharge of my constitutional duties, therefore, I can’t wait to appear before the Privileges Committee or any other Committee as the Speaker may so direct considering that I am of the fullest conviction and the clearest of conscience that the facts and the truth are and have always been on our side.
Truth stands.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
MP, North Tongu
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Okudzeto, most Ghanaians are discerning enough to make a conclusion of their own at what happened at the committee's hearing. It is not for you to coerce us to agree with your line of reasoning. You are dealing with matured minds and not those who are now coming into the world to taste life on their own. Persistently, you have brought about allegations upon allegations of corruption since the current govt was put in place and none of them has seen daylight. What is moving you to do this? Is it fear or hallucination? In fact you are becoming a nuisance to our democracy as some of your allegations are directly affecting the security and the credibilty of the nation. Puting out misdeamenours of govt officials is appropriate and commendable but the fact is the all of your allegations have been proven to be false. If you care about your intergrety re-examine your modus operandi.
Fooölìsh albino...lying is your hobby.amidu will soon get you.
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NDC IS LOSING GROUNDS. IT IS NOT THE MAJORITY NOR GHANAIANS WHO HAVE MADE THE OPPOSITION IRRELEVANT. IT IS THE NDC MPS THEMSELVES, SPEARHEADED BY HARRUNA, MUNTAKA AND OKUDZETO WHO HAVE MADE THE MINORITY IRRELEVANT. IN FACT THE CALIBER OF LEADERSHIP OF MINORITY IS UNFORTUNATE. THEY ARE STILL BEHAVING LIKE STUDENTS IN BOYS SCHOOL. THEY RESORT TO DEMONSTRATIONS, IN STEAD OF DIALOGUE, TO PRESENT THEIR VIEWS. THE MINORITY HAVE MORE BECOME OBSTRUCTION TO PARLIAMENT. GONE ARE THE DAYS WHEN BAGBIN, KUMBOUR AND OTHERS RELIED ON DIPLOMACY AND LOGICAL ARGUMENT TO CONVINCE THE SPEAKER AND THEIR OPPONET TO MAKE THEIR CASE. TODAY THE ONLY TOOL FOR OKUDZETO AND HIS FRIENDS IS APPEAL TO EMOTIONS AND PROPAGANDA. IT WAS VERY CHILDISHHH WHEN IN PRESENTING THE CASH FOR SEAT ALLEGATION TO THE PRESS, OKUDZETO CLAIMED MONEY SPENT FOR THE EVENT COULD HAVE BEEN USED TO CARE FOR THE POOR. I WISH OKUDZETO TO DEMAND THE CUTTING DOWN OF HIS SALARY AND ALLOWANCES TO SUPPORT THE POOR. HE, AND MANY OF THE PRESENT CROP OF MINORITY MPS, SIMPLY APPEAL TO EMOTIONS AND NOT REASONS TO MAKE THEIR CASE. IT IS ACTUALL BECAUSE OF THIS ATTITUDE OF NDC MPS THEMSELVES THAT HAVE MADE THEIR OPPOSITION IRRELEVANT.
Speaker of parliament, a Lawyer by profession and a revered minister by calling. which of these is reminiscent of Aaron Mike Oquaye? For my money,, he does not strike me as a man of God. so that clerical collar is just for the fancy of the vocation, but not a true calling from God... For how can a man of God double as a politician? Especially when he discharge his parliamentary duties like a starving demon. He has crowded his head with partisan colors on his seat and demonize anyone who is not on the same political wave length with him. You have a clear case of fraud and extortion, yet his political lens could not let him see through proper judgment or travesty....I mean referring the matter to the priviledges committee for adjudication is a true case of demonization.
If parliament refuse to strip all privileges from those two NDC parliamentarians so that they can face the law, that will be the end of NPP government. Some God fearing must be put in them.
This is a good one and I wish this Ashim Morton man and his lawyer are not joking but mean business. I humbly pray that they test the laws of the nation for this disrespectful and un-nurtured Ablakwa to learn sense. If not in the NDC how can someone of such a low IQ who knows only lieess be an MP or a deputy Minister? With his character no serious MP should stand by him in solidarity. He has to learn his lesson the hard way. Stripping him of parliamentary immunity will also make the work of the special prosecutor easier on him.
Hey Ofrijato Ablakwa! Make u dey there den run ur mouth. Very soon ibi ur bottom wey go run. Den we all go sabi say u make perturbed or not! See ur front teeth like sofi wey I go take uproot cassava!
....but who said u are perturbed. We live to see, anaa?
Mahama please talk to your boys o hmmm, if they don't know, they are dealing with the man akuffo addo o, hmmm I rest NY case.