Member of Parliament for Bantama, Daniel Okyem Aboagye
The Minority in Parliament has been challenged to trigger a parliamentary procedure that could lead to the sacking of the Finance minister accused of conflict of interest in the $2.5bn bond issuance.
Throwing the challenge is New Patriotic Party MP for Bantama, Daniel Okyem Aboagye, who predicts the move is bound to fail.
In an unprecedented threat, the Minority caucus says they are ready to trigger Article 82 of the 1992 constitution which is a motion of censorship.
In that motion, they need an overwhelming support in Parliament for the dismissal of the Finance minister.
Ken Ofori-Atta, they say, has been indicted in the CHRAJ report which says the Finance minister's "extensive interest" in the securities market raises "potential for conflict of interest".
Holding on to this key revelation, the Minority MPs say their 11-month accusatory advocacy has been vindicated.
They have gleaned from the report that the minister breached Article 181 of the 1992 constitution and Section 56 of the Public Financial Management Act 2016.
They also accuse him of failing to adhere to BoG guidelines when he gave only one day notice of trading in the bond when the regulations required two-weeks' notice
All these breaches occurred when he went to raise $2.5 billion bond on the international market.
They said these breaches are not simply mistakes but rather "willful" violations. They want the "honourable minister to do the honourable thing" and resign within 14 days.
Otherwise, they will go for the 'nuclear option' of moving the censorship motion. But the 106 MPs will need at least 77 NPP MPs to join in their nearly one-year-old push to kick out Ken Ofori-Atta.
Throwing the challenge is New Patriotic Party MP for Bantama, Daniel Okyem Aboagye, who predicts the move is bound to fail.
In an unprecedented threat, the Minority caucus says they are ready to trigger Article 82 of the 1992 constitution which is a motion of censorship.
In that motion, they need an overwhelming support in Parliament for the dismissal of the Finance minister.
Ken Ofori-Atta, they say, has been indicted in the CHRAJ report which says the Finance minister's "extensive interest" in the securities market raises "potential for conflict of interest".
Holding on to this key revelation, the Minority MPs say their 11-month accusatory advocacy has been vindicated.
They have gleaned from the report that the minister breached Article 181 of the 1992 constitution and Section 56 of the Public Financial Management Act 2016.
They also accuse him of failing to adhere to BoG guidelines when he gave only one day notice of trading in the bond when the regulations required two-weeks' notice
All these breaches occurred when he went to raise $2.5 billion bond on the international market.
They said these breaches are not simply mistakes but rather "willful" violations. They want the "honourable minister to do the honourable thing" and resign within 14 days.
Otherwise, they will go for the 'nuclear option' of moving the censorship motion. But the 106 MPs will need at least 77 NPP MPs to join in their nearly one-year-old push to kick out Ken Ofori-Atta.
But South Dayi NDC MP Rockson Nelson Dafiamepkor is confident of getting the needed support from across the aisle in the chamber.
"It shouldn't surprise you that there are a lot of MPs on the Majority who find favour with our position", he claimed.
He said since the vote on censorship is expected to be a secret ballot, there is the potential for a surprise outcome, he said stressing some NPP MPs are not happy.
But Daniel Aboagye laughed off this possibility in an interview on Joy FM Top Story Wednesday.
"I think they are not serious," he told host Evans Mensah and said the NDC MPs are "trying to be relevant".
He said the CHRAJ report presents an opportunity to improve the laws and rules on bond issuance and not an opportunity to score partisan points.
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