Martin Kpebu has reiterated his intentions to sue the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to retrieve the monies he made through his firm, DataBank, in the form of the commissions he made on the loans Ghana secured under the Akufo-Addo administration when this government leaves office.
DataBank, a company belonging to the former Finance Minister and serving as an advisor to the government on its bonds, earns a commission on every loan taken by the state. The practice is what many have described as conflict of interest.
The private legal practitioner, during the Saturday, March 02, 2024 edition of TV3’s the KeyPoints indicated that when the Akufo-Addo-led administration leaves office, he will take the matter on to ensure Ghana retrieves every penny Ken Ofori-Atta and his family have accumulated from the loans the government has taken.
“We will take that money back from Databank. Not testing [the laws because] there is precedence, Akpaloo Commission report shows that when you are in public office it’s a position of trust, you cant bring your company to just come and make money willy nilly and even it shows that there is an incentive to borrow because when you borrow, the President’s family company makes money. Are we kids? We will fight that,” he assured.
He went on to criticise the President’s commendation for the Constitution during Tuesday’s State of the Nation address (SONA). Had it not been for a Constitution as poor as Ghana’s own, Martin Kpebu says the President wouldn’t have been able to appoint his brother as Finance Minister to serve his personal interest in the office.
According to the astute lawyer, the laws of the land has rather served the President’s parochial interest rather than the state.
“You heard people say the President didn’t talk about corruption and corruption is our biggest problem. It’s obvious that we are suffocating under this Constitution.
“This is the Constitution that has enabled Akufo-Addo to appoint his brother as Finance Minister, –we were just talking about bonds; –so we borrow, bonds, and their family becomes rich. All Parliamentarians come and advise him that sack your brother from the Ministry of Finance and over a year and half later before he does so,” he lamented.
“Citizens asked to vote for MMDCEs on nonpartisan lines. There is a CDD survey that says that 76% of citizens say so and then the President says no, me alone. So you call such a constitution a constitution that has served us well? I mean how?
“The statement should have been it has served the President’s parochial interest and made his family rich,” he said.
Source: onuaonline.com