Criminal Enterprise Continues – As Deputy Speaker Dismisses Motion To Probe COVID-19 Spending

The Akufo-Addo government’s cover-up over the billions it has blown so far in the name of fighting COVID-19 continues, with the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament who is a member of the ruling party, dismissing a Motion by the Minority side to probe the COVID spending.

Joseph Osei Wusu, who is also the NPP MP for Bekwai, told the Minority MPs who had submitted their Motion to substantive Speaker, Alban Bagbin, who is on sick leave, that Mr. Bagbin was wrong to have entertained the Motion because it had been wrongly filed.

Throwing it out, Joe OSEI Wusu said, “My view is that this motion ought not to be admitted as is improperly before the house.” According to him, the probe should rather be done by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The Akufo-Addo government has been using every dirty trick in the book to stonewall efforts by the Minority to have it account for several billion that it claims to have blown on COVID-19.

Three Members of the Minority side – Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka and Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson – had filed the motion after several demands for accountability had been snubbed by the government.

The motion asks that the House constitute a bi-partisan parliamentary committee chaired by a member of the minority caucus, to enquire into the expenditures made by the Ghana Government in relation to COVID-19 since Ghana’s first case in March 2020.

Dr. Ato Forson, who had read the Motion, had pointed out that it had become necessary because the amount that Parliament originally approved to fight COVID-19 has been exceeded by more than Ghc7billion.

“Government said they wanted us to approve for the use of what we call the Coronavirus Alleviation program 1, an amount of GHc1.2 billion. That was what this house was made to approve. But in the mid-year review that was presented to us clearly this government spent an amount of over 8 billion cedis. This means the government spent an additional 7 billion cedis for the purposes of COVID-19 expenditures,” he said.

He pointed out that there was the need for the Finance Minister to return to Parliament with an explanation as to how it exceeded the amount approved by more than Ghc7billion.

However, after the Motion was filed, the Majority NPP side pooh-poohed it. Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markins reportedly claimed the Motion lacked merit.

Since then the Majority has been using every trick in the book to ensure that proper account for the several billions stolen in the name of COVID-19 are not accounted for.