The ad hoc committee of Parliament probing a vote of censure against Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to resume hearing today (Thursday, November 17, 2022).
The Public Interest Accountability Committee (PIAC) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) are expected at the committee to answer questions about the minister’s handling of Ghana’s oil resources.
North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who doubles as a committee member, gave the update in a Facebook post.
The meeting has been scheduled for 11 am today.
GNPC is the state agency responsible for the exploration, licensing, and distribution of petroleum-related activities in Ghana, while PIAC is an independent statutory body mandated to promote transparency and accountability in the management of petroleum revenue in Ghana.
It is unclear how the two bodies play a role on the grounds levelled against the sector minister, but it will be recalled that the proponents of the censure had tendered as evidence reports or documents from the two state institutions.
The proponents, represented by the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu and Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, Cassiel Ato Forson, cited PIAC reports from 2019 to 2022 and the Petroleum Management Act as some of the basis for their grounds against Mr. Ofori-Atta.
Meanwhile, the Finance Minister, the man in the limelight for the wrong reasons, is expected to appear before the committee on Friday, November 18.
He had requested time to prepare his defence against the vote of censure, based primarily on allegations of gross mismanagement of the economy.
In all, the Minority had provided seven grounds based on which they argued that the sector minister was not fit to continue in his role as the manager of the economy.
The Minority explained that the decision was based on the “alarming incompetence resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy” and some ethical breaches.