If you’ve nothing to hide then why fear – Mintah Akandoh questions Finance Minister over Covid funds
Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minority Spokesperson on health has strongly supported his side’s demand for a parliamentary investigation of Covid-19 expenditure.
Speaking after Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Kwaku Kwarteng complained that such calls were an attempt to impugn the government, Mr Akandoh retorted that “if you have nothing to hide; you have absolutely nothing to fear.”
“We are a Parliament, and we play an oversight responsibility for the executive and therefore, our standing orders allow us to play that particular function.”
“It is part of our responsibility to play an oversight responsibility and for me, it gives the quickest results when the parliamentary bi-partisan committee is set up for a single purpose.”
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin first admitted the motion from three Members of the Minority Caucus for an inquiry into the expenditure made by the government since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
However, in February 2022, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, who chaired proceedings dismissed the motion on the floor of Parliament.
He said such a bi-partisan committee is already provided for by the Constitution since the Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) are empowered to do such work.
The Minority stated that it will re-file a motion for a probe into Covid-19 expenditure.
Leader of the Minority Caucus, Haruna Iddrisu, said his side’s resolve has been strengthened by viral audio from a regional executive of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that suggests that Covid funds were distributed to party functionaries.
Haruna Iddrisu said, “this is just the tip of the iceberg. We were here when our Foreign Affairs Committee reported how monies adding up to about GH¢66 million were spent on behalf of the ministry. Since when has the Ministry of Finance become a procurement entity for the Ministry of Foreign affairs?”
