Kitchen Scandal: Take action! - Okudzeto Ablakwa to Ministry of Finance
The silence of the Ministry of Finance regarding the alleged Kitchen Scandal has raised concerns for Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu.
He has called on the Ministry to clarify why they are tolerating Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko’s intimidation, especially in light of the recently submitted Value for Money Assessment Report on August 11, 2023.
Ablakwa emphasized his commitment to exposing corrupt activities and ensuring accountability, urging the Ministry to take prompt action. He pointed out that the GH¢180 million involved in the Kitchen scandal could be better utilized to alleviate the challenges faced by Ghanaians.
In a tweet posted on Monday, August 7, 2023, the North Tongu MP pressed for transparency from the Ministry of Finance, stating, “The Ministry of Finance’s silence days after the ‘Kitchen Scandal’ came to light is incredibly conspicuous. They must clarify to Ghanaians why they’re entertaining Gabby’s threats in light of the Value for Money Assessment Report submitted on August 11. They must be answerable to us.”
“No matter Gabby’s manipulation and cunning, he has been exposed, and we, the sovereign people, will ensure that we thwart this elaborate scheme by the ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ to perpetuate their unquenchable state capture. This will prevent the denial of the Ghanaian people’s substantial GHS187.3 million in taxes, which could be utilized to alleviate the suffering of the masses in this financially strained economy. For the sake of God and country,” he concluded.
Background:
In a publication, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa alleged that Gabby, who is President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s cousin, was pushing for payment of the mentioned sum to his client, West Blue, despite the fact that the current government has modified the contract.
In response, Gabby issued a statement on Friday, August 4, 2023, maintaining that his firm was engaged in a lawful duty on behalf of their client.
He explained that since April 2021, his firm had been assisting West Blue Ghana Limited in recovering an outstanding amount of GH¢187,356,969 from the Government of the Republic of Ghana. This amount was linked to a contract dated August 4, 2015, between West Blue, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
However, Ablakwa found Gabby’s response inadequate, as it failed to address the core issue. In a Facebook post on August 8, 2023, Ablakwa argued that Gabby’s explanation still relied on the contract established in 2014 by the John Dramani Mahama administration.
He emphasized that the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government had conducted a value-for-money audit on the concerned contract, concluding that it was West Blue that owed the Ghanaian government, not the other way around.
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