The Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, engaged in a ‘face-off’ with former Deputy Minister of Finance in charge of Government Revenue, Abena Osei-Asare, on the floor of Parliament regarding the newly-constructed Bank of Ghana building.
This occurred when Abena Osei-Asare demanded answers regarding why the cost of the Bank of Ghana building was below the industry cost and the reason Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama was summoned to the chamber.
The Member of Parliament of Atiwa East also sought to inquire about the progress of other projects undertaken by the state institution, as well as whether these projects followed the same process of having officials brought before Parliament to provide answers.
“I would like to know, just as it’s been stated here, that the cost of the project per square meter is way below that of the industries. So, I want to know why they’ve been hauled to Parliament. Secondly, I also want to find out if this is the only big project Bank of Ghana has done in its lifetime. All the other projects that they have done, what is the process?
“I know they have done one in Takoradi; they have done the hospital; they have done Tamale and clearly, we also want to find out the processes they went through in all those other projects and whether they went through things like this. Mr. Chairman, if we are being told that the cost of the project is way below that of the industry’s cost, frankly, why have they been called to Parliament?” she questioned.
But Dr. Dominic Ayine caught the eye of the Speaker of Parliament, with the intention to respond to Abena Osei-Asare’s question.
He accused her of being conflicted, arguing that she had been a member of the Ministry of Finance under the previous administration and was, therefore, well aware of the happenings at the Bank of Ghana.
He then questioned why she would now seek clarifications regarding the cost of the project and whether the same process of summoning officials to Parliament had been applied to previous projects undertaken by the institution.
Dr. Ayine further chided her for opposing Isaac Adongo, MP of Bolgatanga Central, when he attempted to ask questions and seek answers regarding the project and its associated costs.
“When the Honorable Adongo was on his feet, the honorable member of Atiwa East [Osei-Asare] objected strenuously. I saw her on her feet. She remonstrated against Adongo asking any question. Now, Adongo has not even been sworn in and does not owe a fiduciary relationship with the Bank of Ghana now. And yet you objected. You were on the board at the time that this decision was taken. So, you are even more conflicted than the Honorable Adongo,” he told her.
Abena Osei Asare did not back down, taking the floor to set the record straight regarding her time on the board of the Bank of Ghana.
The former deputy minister, however, rejected Dr. Ayine’s claims, clarifying that she was appointed to the board in November 2024, just a few weeks before the general elections, suggesting that the decisions in question were made well before her appointment to the board.
“I need to put this on record. I was sworn onto the board in November 2024. That has to be on the record,” she emphasised.
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