Minority members in Parliament have vowed to ensure that the identity of the owner of the proposed Ghana Chancery building in Oslo, Norway, is revealed.
The caucus is following up on the matter in the Scandinavian country as it believes that the revelation of the owner could be linked to the alleged inflation of the cost of the facility.
This was revealed by the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency and the former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini.
According to him, the Minority has taken keen interest in the matter and is considering triggering the Right to Information law in Norway to find out the identity of the new owner of the 100-year-old building in Oslo, that was proposed to be sold for Ghana’s Chancery at more than 100% the price it was bought for.
The Minority in Parliament, led by its Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, leveled claims of cost inflation against the ministry over the conversion of a 100-year-old 6-bedroom house in Oslo Norway, into Ghana’s new mission.
Ablakwa alleged that the property was bought by a certain woman for $2.9 million in 2014 and sold to an unknown buyer for $3.5 million in August 2017, and so it was surprising that the ministry in a presentation to the Foreign Affairs committee said it was purchasing the same building for $12.2 million in 2018.
He therefore urged the Speaker, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, to admit a document he presented to back his claims of an inflated contract, but the Speaker ruled that the evidence is not admissible because the documents are not verifiable.
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But the sector minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, denied the allegations on the floor of Parliament, saying the Ministry had already backtracked on that particular property and was looking elsewhere.
President Akufo-Addo also recently during his encounter with some journalists at the Jubilee House, discounted the minority’s claims saying it was based on the ‘flimsiest of excuses’.
But the minority suspects that the faceless owner of the building may have specifically bought the property to be sold at an unreasonably high cost to Ghana.
Inusah Fuseini told Selorm Adonoo on the The Big Issue that, “Today as I speak to you, we are as a party and as a minority are interested in who the unknown buyer was or who the unknown seller is, and we are exploring the possibility of invoking the right to information laws in Norway to know that. We are there in Norway already exploring the possibility of getting this information. In fact, from the answer of the president at the press encounter, it is quite evident that he is not interest in the matter. The way he dealt with the matter is enough manifestation of his commitment in fighting corruption.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs committee in Parliament, Frank Annor Dompreh, insists that there is nothing shady about government’s initial interest in the facility.
He said while the minority has the right to pursue the matter and gather all the information concerning it, he is confident that they will unravel nothing that will dent the image of the government.
He said their exercise will only “be a wild goose chase.”
Source: citinewsroom.com
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NDC double salary th.i.e.ves making too much noise in our ears.... Have they refunded the stolen money? Govt must take them to court and send them to jail...... We will also find out those who took state money to raise guinea fowls which flew to Burkina Fasso.
Much ado about nothing newsfile revealed.Pls the Government pays 45,000 dollars per month for the chancery.Much renovation works have upgraded the building,And this will surely upgrade the building and increase its value after purchase.Why?you guys are ***barred word***.NDC is a bogus party.Okudzeto Ablakwa accept your fault and apologize for spewing out garbage. Is it not this Inusa part of the ***barred word*** gang the MPs that took double Salaries?Hey have you refunded the monies? Find s better job and do la
Just a storm in a tea cup.Death on arrival mission.we are not ***barred word*** anymore.Accept this is a red herring.You just wanna waste our ears.***barred word***.Are you not the ones who took double salaries?Listening to Joy Fm newsfile I felt sorry for Ghana- liars in the Minority deceiving the public.Pls is there no low for sanctioning serial MPs who are liars and thus becoming dis hounourables? Typical example of let’s just raise the matter if it’s even a lie n run it many Ghanaians might take it to be true-NO WAY NOW.We are discerning.What happened to your letter to IMF against a particular loan?Saa agyimi foo wei.We Dey chop Christmas papasapa