The Executive Director of the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson has taken a swipe at the former Chief Justice (CJ), Sophia Akuffo.

Thompson referenced Akuffo’s leadership of the National COVID-19 Trust Fund as the basis for his accusation, alleging that funds had been misused under her watch and yet she still audaciously reprimand others for their initiatives being implemented with the aim of reaching higher grounds.

“Sophia Akuffo herself is not exactly a saint and we have had our own issues with her. Remember, she was the chairman of the COVID-19 trust fund and we saw the accounts she came to give,” he told Metro TV news.

He said the reckless use of funds under her leadership showed that “she is part of the problem, she is part of the reason that we are in a debt hole. And so, her far cry I mean is not anything that she can hide behind to exempt herself from the mess that we are in,” he added.

To leverage other resources to fight the pandemic, Government passed the COVID-19 National Trust Fund Act (CNTF), 2020 (Act 1013) in April 2020 to establish the Fund.

The CNTF had mobilized 62,329,941.98 as of June 2022 from individuals, churches, corporate bodies, staff of organizations, non-Governmental organizations, groups, and associations, etc.

At a July 2022 press conference, Sophia Akuffo said out of the amount, the fund had disbursed GH¢53,230,805.37 for procurement and administrative purposes. She told Joy FM in an interview that the Fund had fully accounted for its tenure and that they were in the final stages of wrapping up their task challenging anyone to point to any malfeasance in their work.

The Executive Director of ASEPA proposed that Mrs. Sophia Akuffo had no right to be in the positions she is right now where she obviously goes against the policies government wants to implement because she did no better while in a better position herself.

Mrs. Akuffo Opposes Domestic Debt Restructuring

The ex-Chief Justice (CJ) has become topical in the last two weeks after she joined colleague pensioner bondholders who had been picketing at the Ministry of Finance since February 6, demanding total exclusion from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP.)

Mrs. Akuffo’s involvement also saw her slam government’s handling of the programme and the general economic situation of the country. However, she received heavy backlash via social media from New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko.

In her second appearance at the picket, she responded to Gabby’s critique among others by referring to him as a nuisance who did not matter to her and her life.

Thompson is, however, incensed that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is mute on Gabby’s attack on his former appointee. Gabby and the former Chief Justice are all related to the president.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo claimed that he no way related to the former Chief Justice (CJ), Sophia Akuffo just because they someway have the same name. Sophia Akuffo has also confirmed that this is truth and she cannot bear it anymore that people think she is related to the President because of their name resemblance and for the fact that she worked under his government.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that he actually is related to the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta and another so he should not be lumped in together, with the former Chief Justice.