The Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, has said the procedure he adopted to handle the censure motion which was filed by the Minority for the removal of the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta was firmly rooted in law.
Delivering his ruling on the report submitted to him by the 8-memeber ad hoc committee, in Parliament on Thursday December 8, the Speaker said “…the procedure is well rooted in law.”
He added “the public hearing has vindicated my decision. The referral of the motion is proper and in accordance with the law, the House may now proceed to debate the motion.”
When the Minority filed the motion in Parliament, the Speaker formed the 8-member ad hoc committee co-chaired by KT Hammond and Dominic Ayine, lawmakers for Adansi-Asokwa and Bolgatanga East, respectively, to handle the matter.
During the hearing, Mr Ofori-Atta told the committee on Friday November 18 that the proponents’ allegations did not have “weight for censure.”
He said each of the allegations leveled against him was false and went on to debunk each of them.
On the allegation of deliberate misreporting of economic data to Parliament, he said it was completely not true.
“Since I took office in 2017, I have served the country with integrity and honesty.
“Under my leadership at the Ministry of Finance, there have been significant improvements in the accurate reporting of public finances.
“Today, under President Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghanaians are enjoying greater accountability and transparency in the management of the public purse than any other period under the Fourth Republic.”