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Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu lawmaker, has called for the prosecution of those involved in the National Cathedral project for causing financial loss to the state. He expressed strong concerns that if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) comes to power and fails to pursue legal action, he would be deeply disappointed.
On TV3’s Key Points on August 3, Ablakwa stated, “This National Cathedral, I will be very disappointed if NDC comes to power and nobody is prosecuted.”
Similarly, Professor Ransford Gyampo from the University of Ghana has suggested that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo should face charges related to the financial losses incurred from the National Cathedral project. If direct prosecution is not feasible, Gyampo proposed that the President’s ex gratia be frozen upon his departure from office.
In a discussion on TV3’s Key Points on July 27, Gyampo remarked, “For the National Cathedral, I think that somebody must be sued for causing financial loss to the state. President Akufo-Addo himself must suffer some consequences. If it is possible, let us freeze his gratuity to be used in paying for the covering of the cathedral. If that is not enough then we sue him for having caused financial loss to the state.”
Recently, Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Abena Osei-Asare, revealed that GH¢339 million has been spent on the National Cathedral project since its initiation in 2020. She provided this information in Parliament on July 3, responding to inquiries from Deputy Majority Leader Patricia Appiagyei.
Osei-Asare detailed that GH¢225 million was allocated to the National Cathedral Secretariat and GH¢113 million to the project consultant. She also noted that Deloitte Ghana is currently auditing the project’s accounts. “The total releases made for the National Cathedral by the government to date remain at GH¢339 million,” Osei-Asare said. “There was a value-for-money audit done on the project in 2021. Also, a statutory audit of the National Cathedral of Ghana accounts by Deloitte Ghana was started in July 2023 and is ongoing.”
The National Cathedral project, since its inception in 2020, has been mired in controversy, sparking debates over its necessity, the timing of its construction, and the management of the funds allocated for its development.
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