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Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Carlos Ahenkorah has debunked claims that the Trade Ministry charged expatriate businesses money to sit close to President Nana Akufo-Addo during the recent Ghana Expatriates Business Awards.

Carlos Ahenkorah on Tuesday locked horns with the Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa at Parliament when the latter was addressing the issue in an interview with the press.

Mr. Ablakwa described the move by the Trade Ministry as "extortion, dubious and unethical" and hoped the President and the Members of the Legislative House would sanction the sector Minister and his deputy.

But Mr. Ahenkorah stormed the interview accusing Mr. Ablakwa of being a thief, which nearly resulted in fisticuffs.

Speaking in an interview with the 2016 GJA Best Journalist of the Year, Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Mr. Ahenkorah sought to set the records straight.

According to him, the expatriate businesses were not charged to sit close to the President neither were any charges made to attend the Awards event.

He explained that the Trade Ministry opened up for sponsorships and some of the expatriate businesses opted to sponsor the event.

Among the sponsorship packages were an opportunity to the sponsors to sit close to the President and even with that package, he disclosed that it was two companies that paid an amount to be beside the President.

To him, this is a normal practice and he doesn't see anything wrong with it because it was a sponsorship package but not an act of extortion as purported by the Minority in Parliament.

Mr. Ahenkorah stated emphatically that his outfit did a very good job and deserved commendation not the usual political drama by the opposition parties, particularly the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Background

The Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak raised an allegation in Parliament last Friday over the Trade Ministry's act.

He alleged there were illegal charges imposed on businesses by the Ministry, revealing that the Ministry charged the participants $100,000 to sit closer to the President at the awards held on Friday, December 8, 2017 at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra.