On Friday, Ken Ofori-Atta, the embattled finance minister, is anticipated to defend himself against the Minority’s call for a vote of censure against him.
This comes after the eight-member ad hoc committee’s first public hearing on the subject, which ended on Tuesday amid tense arguments, protests, and questions about the admissibility of the evidence.
Prior to the hearing, the Minister expressed concern about the committee’s authority and requested more information and clearer details on the motion’s justifications.
The Committee was informed by Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, the Minister’s attorney, that his client will have the reply prepared by Friday, November 18, 2022.
“We’ll need around 48 hours, so Friday is what we’re shooting for. The Finance Minister, who will speak for himself, will only require one day to provide his contributions, in our opinion.
At the hearing of the Parliamentary Committee looking into the reasons for a vote of censure against Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister was represented by Gabby Otchere-Darko, a private attorney and prominent member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
A disagreement over how to submit evidence to the committee delayed the beginning of the session.
The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, and Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, who were the first witnesses before the committee, wanted to use the evidence in a contentious way even before they were sworn in to testify.
The Minority’s formal record of the evidence, according to the committee’s clerk, was not received, but Mr. Forson claimed he had delivered the notice of evidence via hyperlinks since the clerk had informed him in a message sent by WhatsApp.
As the discussion heated up, the committee’s minority members pleaded for leniency and a quick resolution to the accusations made against the finance minister.
The attorney defending Mr. Ofori-Atta, Gabby Otchere-Darko, demanded “all particulars of the facts in support of the claims against the minister” out of worry that his client would be caught off guard by the evidence.
He added that there wouldn’t be enough time to carefully consider the Minority’s provided supporting documentation.
It would not be fair to ambush the minister of finance in this location and force him to begin answering questions right away.
Mr. Okyere Darko stated, “All we are asking for is that you provide us with the full particulars of the facts supporting each of the claims contained in the letter and then the supporting papers.
After the Minority Leader took the oath and was given permission to speak, the hearing was allowed to continue despite the requests.
Source: newsthemegh.com