The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, came under attack by broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah (KKD), who accused him of a conflict of interest as his companies get a lot of government contracts.
He also lambasted parliament and the government for permitting such practices to go on at the expense of the nation.
His wild reaction was on the back of news that the finance minister benefits through the advisory role his company plays.
Read the full article as published by GhanaWeb on Thursday, August 18, 2022, below:
Veteran broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, known as KKD has cited the minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta over what he says is a conflict of interest.
According to him, the minister is benefiting at the expense of the country.
“I read a report yesterday that broke my heart, I saw how much Ghana owes but I also found that apparently, the minister of finance’s company or former company is a transaction advisor to the monies that we borrow. So as Ghana gets poorer, the minister of finance’s company or former company gets richer,” he stated when he appeared as a guest on GTV’s Breakfast Show programme.
Describing the situation as unacceptable, KKD accused parliament of also failing to defend the interest of the country by allowing such a practice to fester.
“Is this how we want to continue in this country? Do we want to elect people into office, give them their pay and their perks and then allow them and their friends and their companies or their former companies to be the very beneficiaries of the woes of our country? This is not only about the finance minister of finance; this is about parliament. Parliament, you must be ashamed of yourself. You have failed the people of Ghana because I don’t think from the time of Nkrumah to date, whoever is the minister for finance should be benefiting every time our country goes to borrow money. Is that what happened?’’ he questioned.
He further bemoaned how Ghanaians including parliament have rather become comfortable with the situation.
“And parliament thinks it is okay? So whoever wins the next election will also set up their own companies and be the transactional advisors when we go and take a loan. What is wrong with us as a people? So the person’s motive for even going for a loan for me now is not clear because every time we take a loan their company makes money. Does this make sense to us as a people?
“Look we have leaders of the industry, some who have been deprived of their finances and in the meantime, the people who are sitting in power are stealing us blind and all people can tell me is oh this is general knowledge,” he fumed.
Source: ghanaweb.com
