The Speaker of Parliament has summoned Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, to testify before the House.
Alban Bagbin seeks a thorough analysis of all funds authorised for use during the Covid-19 epidemic from the Minister.
The instruction came when Kweku Kwarteng, the Chairman of the Finance Committee, pushed to approve €75 million for the Covid-19 health response initiative.
The Minority in Parliament, on the other hand, objected to the motion, resulting in a deadlock in the House.
After listening to the MPs, the Speaker directed that the Finance Minister account for the Covid-19 expense.
He maintained that the loan approval would be put on hold until that was accomplished.
“So I will complete my submission by directing that the Finance Minister should appear before this House and account for all the monies that have been approved for the utilisation of Covid-19 management.
“It is only then that this motion would be expressed on the floor again to approve or disapprove,” he noted.
Mr Bagbin noted that the legislative branch of government has the capacity to hold the executive branch accountable, thus his decree is in keeping with his goal of making government more open and accountable to the people.
“People of Ghana have been blaming the executive arm of government for some of these things, but I think it is Parliament that should be blamed. We have all it takes to make sure the right thing is done so it is Parliament that is weak” Bagbin added.
He went on to say that Parliament does not agree with the government’s decision to take out a domestic loan since it is more expensive.
