Senior Minister-designate Yaw Osafo Maafo somewhat put paid to claims that he, in his capacity as Minister of Finance, sought to raise a loan for the then Kufuor government from a lender that allegedly had a barbering shop as its offices.
The nominee also addressed some "mischievous" newspaper reports published by the Daily Dispatch, which were raised by the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, when he (Maafo) appeared before the Parliamentary Appointments Committee.
The Senior Minister-designate was the first to be vetted on Friday by the committee.
During the proceedings, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa made reference to what Mr. Osafo Maafo described as “frivolous propaganda” allegations that he (Osafo) supervised two major financial scandals.
He questioned Mr. Osafo Maafo's role in the CNT/CI loan and MacMillan debacle under the erstwhile Kufour regime.
In a quick riposte to the North Tongu MP, Mr. Osafo Maafo silenced the MP suggesting that he was too young to understand the details of the two issues at the time.
"I think you were too young at the time to understand the issue," he stated.
He was later made to retract his comment to Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa, which was considered “unparliamentary”, and apologized to him.
Few details about the two issues are that Osafo Maafo at the time of Kufour government secured a 300 million dollar loan from the CNT Construction Investment Ltd. (CNTCI Ltd) to undertake some infrastructural projects but the loan was described as fraudulent by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In 2005, he was also accused of using fraudulent means to sole source a US $ 27 million deal to Macmillan Company to provide text books for the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Mr. Osafo Maafo stated that he never made purchase of a single book from Macmillan neither did he engage in any act of fraud regarding the issue.
He strongly held that he has a reputation and therefore will never smear it with any scandalous activity.
“…whether under Yaw Osafo Maafo as a Minister, we bought a single book from Macmillan; No, we did not. Because I found out there were intrigues to create problem in the whole industry and I prefer to keep my honour…So, I refused to carry out the tender and we didn’t buy anything from Macmillan.
“People pretend to be mischievous and engage in demonization on things which are frivolous. It is frivolous…Up till today; I never bought a single book from Macmillan under such arrangements," he stressed.
He discounted the claims, referring to them as a "mere propaganda which worked for them (the NDC) because once you carry out that headline, people will speak on it from angles in the newspapers and it tends to stick. But no book was ever bought from Macmillan. So, that alone, was spurious and not right.”
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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To me if the NDC claimed to ve the men, people like Ablakwa should've been on their panel, how can u rely on propaganda and call call it facts, u allow babies to ran ur government, hence the abysmalperformance in the just ended election,
WELL, IF YOU DON'T KNOW, ABLAKWA ASKED A FOO.LISH QUESTION AND THE SNR MINISTER PUT HIM WHERE HE BELONGED!!!!
THAT ABLAKWA NEVER DID NATIONAL SERVICE? IF SO DOES HE QUALIFY TO BE AN MP? LETS THINK ABOUT IT.....
It's NOT about one being young or old. Your so called Young MP lacks what it takes to sit on that panel. How could a person supposed to be of his calibre ask a question based on a newspaper or a tabloid? Absolute F00OLISHNESS!! He lacks both knowledge and wisdom.No wonder we have a FO00L like you defending man of your equal.Governance is serious business, it's not politics.
We have not forgotten so soon when persons whose only track record was dinning hall prefect were appointed as ministers.
Very recent past deputy education minister comes to ask a question about an issue over a portfolio he has handled, and he appears to have no facts? Either Ablakwa is being mischievous or doesn't know what he was doing on the panel.
If u have facts without evidence then backoff where was ablakwa when osafo maafo was nominated as finance minister. Masa NDC must go to hell baby with sharp teeth.......#nomoreNDC
You see, Ablakwa shd have done his research before asking such silly questions. He says there a fraudulent case involving Mcmilan, did the deal really happen? Wat was the deails, he shd have asked questions backed with evidence that he has, and infact, his government that came into power soon after the supposed deal, shd have prosecuted it if so.
This is the kind of arrogance that is wrecking and sinking our nation. It is not always the case that grey hair translates to wisdom. What is wrong with the young MP asking you a question? Does age matter in issues of these sort? The Ghanaian way of thinking the young should not stand up to the elderly even in the face of frivolous lies and negligence are all parts of our backwardness. Please let the elderly in Ghana grow, and realize that the young have come of age, and will not tolerant any nonchalant attitude.
This is the kind of arrogance that is wrecking and sinking our nation. It is not always the case that grey hair translates to wisdom. What is wrong with the young MP asking you a question? Does age matter in issues of these sort? The Ghanaian way of thinking the young should not stand up to the elderly even in the face of frivolus lies and negligence are all parts of our backwardness. Please let the elderly in Ghana grow, and release that the young have come of age, and will not tolerant any nonchalant attitude.