The Executive Director of National Cathedral of Ghana, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah has accused the Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, of rehashing false accusation that has already been addressed over a year ago.
He saw claims by the legislator that his outfit has illegally paid GHC 2.6m to an Executive Council Member, Rev. Kusi Boateng for no work done as mundane and expected.
“As we have stressed, consistently, a project of this nature that significantly raises the issues of faith and national development will always have its discontents, malcontents, as well as those who would use lies, and reckless populist statements to give the impression of wanting accountability. In our vibrant democracy, this is to be expected,” he said on Monday January 16, hours after the MP had tweeted about the alleged scandal.
Read also: Okudzeto Ablakwa’s ‘mother of all scandals’ on National Cathedral [Full text]
Mr. Opoku-Mensah maintained that his secretariat won’t be derailed by such accusations.
“The Board and Management of the National Cathedral Project remains focused and committed to the completion of the National Cathedral, and would continue to do so with diligence, integrity, excellence, and accountability.”
Mr. Opoku-Mensah’s rebuttal is published below
THE NATIONAL CATHEDRAL & PAYMENTS TO JNS
1) Following the January 7 memo refutation of false claims made against the National Cathedral, the attention of the National Cathedral Secretariat has been drawn to yet another false accusation. This time, and using information from the same documentation submitted by the Secretariat to Parliament on December 15, 2022, the National Cathedral is said to have made illegal payments totaling GHC 2.6m to a company called JNS.
2) As a normal verification – expected of a Member of Parliament – would have revealed, this was not an illegal payment but rather a refund of a short-term interest free loan made by JNS to top up the payments to the contractors of the National Cathedral. This support was sought from a National Cathedral Trustee Member, Rev Kusi Boateng, in a letter dated August 26, 2021 due to a delay in the receipt of funds to pay the Contractors on time (see attached, below).
3) The GHC 2.6m was paid from the JNS account to the National Cathedral account on August 27, 2021, following a request from Rev Kusi Boateng to his bankers, ADB.
4) The GHC 2.6m was refunded to Rev Kusi Boateng, and JNS, by the National Cathedral on September 8, 2021.
5) So, this is not an illegal payment!
6) As we have stressed, consistently, a project of this nature that significantly raises the issues of faith and national development will always have its discontents, malcontents, as well as those who would use lies, and reckless populist statements to give the impression of wanting accountability. In our vibrant democracy, this is to be expected.
7) However, we do expect that the basic values of verification, particularly by Members of Parliament, would be followed.
8) The Board and Management of the National Cathedral Project remains focused and committed to the completion of the National Cathedral, and would continue to do so with diligence, integrity, excellence, and accountability.
Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah Executive Director,
National Cathedral of Ghana