The minority asks the list of beneficiaries of the debt related to a judgment under Akufo-Addo

General News of Sunday, July 14, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-07-14

The minority in Parliament is asking for details on all the sums paid in execution of a default judgment since the Akufo-Addo administration in 2017.

Finance spokesman Casiel Ato Forson wants the Ministry of Finance to publish the list of people and organizations that have benefited from the payment of about 282 million euros, as announced in Parliament by the minister Finance, Ken Ofori Atta, Friday.

According to Ofori Atta, the administration of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) inherited a total of 482,413,354.13 million euros from its predecessor, the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The nuclear power plant, he said, also recorded 197,076,438.15 EUR in the last two years, "bringing the total amount to 679,489,792.28 euros".

"In total, we have had no choice but to pay 42% of the outstanding amount, which represents around 94 million euros a year, because of the seizure. stop our accounts and renegotiations held, "added Ofori Atta.

Minister of Finance Ken Ofori Atta

This answered a question from Mion MP Mohammed Abdul-Aziz, who asked the Minister of Finance how much the government had paid the debt in judgment from January 2017 to date.

Mr. Ofori Atta further explained that the government's approach to renegotiating most of these default judgments has saved more than 200 million euros.

"For example, in one case, we managed to save $ 90 million from taxpayers through negotiations. In another case, we negotiated savings of 130 million euros on a claim of more than 180 million euros, "he revealed.

The debts were incurred as a result of orders issued by courts for non-compliance of contracts, mainly compensation for bodily injury and acquisitions, which can not be ignored.

The judgment debt paid to Martin Amidu?

However, the minority described the minister's response as unsatisfactory. Opposition NDC members said the answers lacked detailed information to enable them to debate the issue in an informed manner.

Finance spokesman Ato Forson, also a member of the Central Region Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam constituency, asked if the beneficiaries included companies such as Bankswitch, McDan Ltd, and former Attorney General Martin Amidu, who is now the special prosecutor.

Mr. Amidu, who alone led the crusade against the state that paid $ 51 million to businessman Alfred Woyome in the absence of judgment, filed an action for damages for "his Illegal dismissal "of the government of President John Atta Mills in 2012.

In the case of Bankswitch Ghana Limited, which according to Mr Forson would have received 80 million euros in public debt, 286 million euros had already been paid before the end of the NDC's mandate. , after the company was successful against the state.

This amount represents the exact amount owed to the company in default of judgment, said the former Assistant Minister of Finance to Evans Mensah, in Top Story on Joy FM, Friday.

Casiel Ato Forson

"So, for someone to pay 80 million euros more … it is important that we know about it," he explained.

But "unfortunately, he has not been able to provide us with this information," he said.