The Minority in Parliament has indicated that it will re-file a motion for a probe into COVID-19 expenditure.

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, indicates that this has been strengthened by a viral audio from a regional executive of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that suggests that COVID funds were distributed to party functionaries.

Haruna Iddrisu said, “this is just a tip of the iceberg. We were here when our Foreign Affairs Committee reported how monies adding up to about GH¢66 million were spent on behalf of the ministry. Since when has the Ministry of Finance begun a procurement entity for the Ministry of Foreign affairs?”

“Nana Akufo-Addo is presiding over the gigantic spending and disbursement of COVID-19 expenditure. We will renew our position. We will refile the motion.”

First Deputy Speaker dismisses motion for probe into COVID-19 expenditure

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, had early on admitted the motion from three Members of the Minority Caucus for an inquiry into the expenditure made by the government since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

However, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, in February 2022 dismissed the motion on the floor of Parliament with the explanation that such a bi-partisan committee is already provided for by the Constitution since the Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) are empowered to do such work.

“All the committees of the house, including the Public Accounts Committee are bipartisan, and the Public Accounts Committee is designed by nature to be chaired by members of the Minority. In all its form, the Public Accounts Committee, if it is minded to investigate anything related to the Covid-19 expenditure, fully sees to the authority and power to investigate that, particularly because all the accounting of it has been provided for in the budget which budget has been provided by the House and is before the committee. My view is that this motion ought not to have been admitted, and it’s improperly before the House.”

Gov’t disbursing NBSSI’s COVID-19 loan to NPP sympathizers for votes – Mahama
In the run to the 2020 elections, flagbearer for the NDC, John Mahama accused the Akufo-Addo government of allocating about 50% of the COVID-19 relief fund to supporters of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The government set aside an amount of GH¢600 million to be disbursed in the form of loans to small-scale businesses to cushion them from the adverse economic impact brought on the country by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Mahama made similar accusations at the 24th African Business Conference organised by the Harvard Business School last month.

He alleged that the Akufo-Addo-led government channelled the Covid-19 pandemic windfall of over GH¢33 billion meant to cushion the economy into its 2020 campaign activities.