By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
A Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame Constituency in the Ashanti region, Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has called the Minority’s bluff of calling for the resignation of the governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and his deputies amidst allegations of financial mismanagement.
According to the Suame MP, who doubles as the Majority Leader and head of government business, the BoG governor is not mandated to report daily activities to Parliament.
Minority members of the National Democratic Congress in Parliament are demanding the resignation of Dr. Ernest Addison and his deputies, leveling grave allegations of gross financial mismanagement within the Bank of Ghana.
The Minority claims that Dr Addison must quit his post for supervising the GHC60 billion loss the Central Bank recorded for the year-ending 2022.
The minority, among others, also claims that the Bank of Ghana failed to report its activities to Parliament.
However, the BoG, in a statement, attributed the losses to the government’s domestic debt restructuring activities and the depreciation of the cedi.
But in response to the Minority’s demand, Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu challenged the validity of the allegations and the political undertones of the dispute.
The Majority leader argued that the issue should not be reduced to a mere partisan contest between the NPP and NDC, emphasising the need for a balanced and informed discussion.
He added that the Bank of Ghana is not legally obligated to report its daily activities to Parliament, contrary to the claims made by Dr Ato Forson.
Speaking on Oman FM, the Suame lawmaker explained that the law only requires the Bank to report foreign exchange receipts to Parliament, a mandate that the Bank has consistently fulfilled.
“We should not make everything about NPP and NDC. Ato Forson should have known better because he has held the position of deputy minister of finance before and knows the operations of the Bank of Ghana. So, if you politicised issues of the BoG, it is not good for the country,” he noted.
He added, “there is no law that mandates the BoG to report its daily activities to Parliament. The law only mandates the BoG to report foreign exchange receipts to Parliament and the BoG has always complied with this provision. The BoG does not report directly to Parliament.
The Constitution says that if you pass any law that is inconsistent with the Constitution, that law is null and void. It’s either the Minority are overexaggerating issues or have not had time to examine the facts of the matter,” Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu reiterated.