Trades and Industry Minister, Alan Kyeramaten has officially responded to the query by the Office of President over the role his ministry played in the collection of $100,000 from some expatriate businessmen and women.
The money was the cost the expatriates had to incur for the chance to sit on the same table as the President at an event recently.
News of the cash-for-seat transaction caused a stir on social media, with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) calling it an act of corruption.
The furore generated by the matter caused President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to demand answers from the Trades Minister.
The Ghana Expatriate Business Awards was organised by the Millennium Excellence Awards in collaboration with Ministry of Trade.
Director of Communications at the Flagstaff House, Eugene Arhin, has revealed President Akufo-Addo has received the response from the Trades Minister but he will not reveal the contents.
Mr Arhin said the President is studying the response sent by the minister of state to decide on the matter.
“As I speak with you now the Trade Minister has responded accordingly and the President is studying his response” Eugene Arhin revealed to Afia Pokua, host of Adom FM’s current affairs programme, Burning Issues, on Wednesday.
“Whatever will be the case, we want to bring finality to the issue as quickly as possible, whatever directive the president will issue will be known to the general public” Mr Arhin stressed.
Mr Arhin had already said President Akufo-Addo had no idea some persons had to pay $100,000 to sit by his table at the December 8 Ghana Expatriate Business Awards organised by the Millennium Excellence Awards in collaboration with the Trades Ministry.
This follows the call by Minority MPs for the President to explain if he was aware that expatriates had to pay between $15,000 and $100,000 to sit close to him at the event.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament are demanding for serious investigations into the matter.
The Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mubarak Muntaka contributing to the discussions on Burning Issues called for a bipartisan investigation into the mater.
Meanwhile, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Bantama, Daniel Okyem Aboagye, also supported the call by the Minority MPs for proper investigations into the matter.
Programs coordinator of Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) Michael Boadi has lauded the president for taking swift steps on the matter.
He stated that sanctions must be meted out to culprits in what has been described widely as extortion by officials of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Source: adomnews
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We saw this coming. Nana Addo will use every means to nail Alan and end his political ambitions of becoming a President. Preparing the grounds for Bawumia 2024. We know this 100000$ issue was leaked by an NPP person Don’t think Alan’s support will not be needed in 2020.
If you dissect the explanations given so far for the misdeeds surronding the $100K For a Seat near the President,and keep your own counsel. You would realize that there was distortion and delibrate attempt to discredit a genuine idea to promote foreign Investment.You will agree with me here, that NDC only sees how it can make gain out of cheap Propaganda.To make political gain shouldn't always be diabolic in manner but constructive critques and good ideas reign supreme. NDC relies too much on street and cheap politicking, lies, defamation and PROPAGANDA whilst NPP is selling transformational Policies going away from the folly of doing the same thing, over and over again and expecting different results. The President, and as I affectionately call him NANA has been very emphatic about his policy guidelines anytime he mounts a platform and they are getting into the DNA of Ghanaians. The fundamental Philosophy of the NPP, Property owning Democracy never fall short, and the President has been very consistent. Though, the NDC sillily tout it as failure to walk the talk. How can you access a Government which is bearly a year old of such a feat. And our dear President cannot do anything better than instilling in Ghanaians that we can all Change the challenges and do it better as we deserve like our peers. To conclude, I say it once again that, the credibility, honesty and incorruptibility Of our President (Nana) in the face of Ghanaians and Ghanaian politic is intact. And NDC is just beating about the buush in its attempt to discredit that. Asem S€ b€
NPP, IS THE BATTLE STILL THE LORD'S? OR IT WAS A VOTE WINNING TERM?. BE CAREFUL BECOS GOD WILL NOT ALLOW HIS NAME TO BE DRAGGED IN THE MUD OOOOO.