Lawyers for Kwabre Constituency Member of Parliament and President Nana Akufo-Addo’s nominee for the function of Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Francisca Oteng-Mensah, have said that there is completely no basis for allegations of battle of curiosity leveled against her.
It can be recalled {that a} resident of Nima, a suburb of Accra, Ismail Mohammed, on January 21, 2021, petitioned the anti-graft establishment to look into the conduct of the MP, insisting the NYA’s ¢3 million bills on a Covid-19 marketing campaign in 2020 had components of impropriety. The NYA board’s approval of the expenditure on March 31, 2020, got here at a time the nation had recorded greater than 150 circumstances of COVID-19 and was girding its loins to confront the pandemic.
However, in a response, the lawyers for Ms. Oteng-Mensah, Ghartey & Ghartey, informed CHRAJ that the petition had “no facts that would support the belief that our client has been involved in a conflict of interest situation. There is without question no basis for the belief that there has been a conflict of interest situation.”
According to the lawyers for the MP and Deputy Minister nominee, the mere indisputable fact that the NYA Board Chair was linked to Adonko Bitters, the place the NYA purchased hand sanitisers, didn’t put her in a battle of curiosity state of affairs.
The lawyers of their response to CHRAJ said:
“Respectfully, our client admits that she is and remains a director and shareholder of Adonko Bitters Limited. She was also a director and shareholder of Adonko Bitters Limited during the period, a subject matter of this petition. However, she is not in any way responsible for the day-to-day management of Adonko Bitters Limited. She is not an employee or a marketing and sales executive for the company. Our client submits further that she is not an executive director of Adonko Bitters Limited.”
Ms. Oteng-Mensah’s lawyers famous that she “never ‘participated’, ‘deliberated’ and ‘presided’ over the purchase of hand sanitisers from Adonko Bitters Limited as alleged by the petitioner”.
An bill from Adonko Bitters Limited, fee vouchers and a cheque from the NYA connected to the response to CHRAJ, in keeping with Francisca’s lawyers, indicating that the acquisition of and fee for the hand sanitisers preceded the March 31, 2020 assembly cited by the petitioner as having mentioned the Covid-19 expenditure.
It mentioned NYA paid ¢68,980.58 to Adonko Bitters for the availability of 290 cartons of hand sanitisers on March 29, 2020.
A petitioner alleged that the NYA purchased GHc700,000 value of hand sanitisers from Adonko Credit: KESMI FM.
The connected paperwork present that the bill from Adonko Bitters and the Bank of Ghana cheque for fee is dated March 29, 2020.
The cheque fee voucher from the NYA to the Bank of Ghana is, nonetheless, dated March 27, 2020, two days earlier than the bill was acquired.
But the lawyers said that the quantity was throughout the Public Procurement Authority’s threshold that the CEO of the NYA may approve with out searching for the board’s approval, a purpose the board was not concerned within the deal.
They informed CHRAJ that the petitioner didn’t produce any proof that hyperlinks the board chair to the transaction.
CHRAJ’s “delay” and Francisca’s deputy ministerial nomination
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan and Senior Partner at Ghartey and Ghartey, Joe Ghartey, has noticed that CHRAJ’s investigation into the allegation had been unduly delayed.
According to him, this was a simple matter and that his shopper had offered all the required paperwork and proof to allow CHRAJ to reach at a conclusion.
He says this was not a case that ought to journey over a yr.
He strongly believes the MP and board chair is harmless and that the delay quantities to justice being denied her.
On the deputy ministerial nomination of Francisca Oteng-Mensah, Joe Ghartey, who is a former minister of Justice and Attorney-General, believes the present probe by CHRAJ shouldn’t impede her appointment.
He says the regulation solely bars individuals which were discovered responsible by commissions of enquiry and never the mere indisputable fact that an allegation has been levelled against somebody and that allegation is being investigated.
According to him, if allegations and investigations are used to cease individuals from holding workplace, anyone may very well be paid to make allegations against an individual nominated to serve a public workplace so as to cease them. He says Francisca Oteng-Mensah is harmless and needs CHRAJ to expedite its investigation and are available out with a conclusion.
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