Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that government has treated the Sole Inquirer’s report on the demolition of the Bulgarian embassy like a nuclear code.
According to him, the “embarrassing public exposure” on the matter some months ago, compelled government to issue a stop work notice, even though the developer, Dr Yaw Adu Ampomah, the President’s appointee at NDPC, initially flouted the order. Nonetheless, he indicated that in the true spirit of transparency, accountability and international best practice, he will “dutifully and immediately make copies of the report” available to Ghanaians including the media and civil society organisations.
“I can announce that I have intercepted the full, unredacted and irrefutable report of the Sole Inquirer on the despicable demolishing of the Bulgarian Embassy. Since receiving the Sole Inquirer’s report some six months ago, government has treated it like a nuclear code, and has flagrantly refused to publish the report despite popular agitations for the full report to be made public.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Commending some officials within the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government who placed the“country above party, justice above injustice and truth above deception”, Mr Ablakwa noted that they continuously take great risk to collaborate with people like him behind the scenes on the matter. Additionally, he stated that they are also involved in other significant investigations which the minority pursues in the national interest and in fulfilment of its oversight constitutional mandate.
“… On behalf of the NDC Caucus in Parliament, I demanded an independent enquiry into the scandal which government eventually heeded and appointed Justice Kwasi A. Ofori-Atta as Sole Inquirer on March 18, 2022.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Sole Inquirer’s report on embassy demolition
The North Tongu legislator explained that the Sole Inquirer completed work on its first task relating to the demolishing of the Bulgarian Embassy, despite requesting an extension. He revealed that the Inquirer later submitted its report to the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor on 26th of April, 2022.
Six months after receiving the report which is of “considerable public interest”, Mr Ablakwa expressed that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has “defied all good governance dictates and blatantly” refused to publish the Justice Ofori-Atta report.
“Our spirited efforts both in Parliament and outside Parliament, particularly through a Right to Information request, I caused my lawyers to file at the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry on May 26, 2022, have all been unsuccessful as top government officials,, who are expected to be transparent public servants have done everything in their power to deliberately obstruct and conceal the Sole Inquirer’s report.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Mr Ablakwa stated that having now secured the “full, unredacted and absolutely unimpeachable report”, it is clear as to why the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has done its best to conceal the Sole Inquirer’s report from Ghanaians.
He indicated that government has consciously refused to inform the Ghanaian public that the chief perpetrator of the illegal demolition as identified by the Sole Inquirer, one Mr Albert Jojo Hagan, has been on the run and could not be located by the Sole Inquirer.
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