The government's method of construction for the National Cathedral, according to the Ranking Member of Parliament's Foreign Committee, is doubtful.
"The whole arrangement, the whole structure is simply profoundly buried in illegality and lack of forthrightness," Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says.
The North Tongu MP remarked on JoyNews' The Probe that the Akufo-Addo government first declared the initiative to be a private and personal vow, but that public monies are now being diverted to support the work.
So far, the MP has produced documentation indicating that a total of GHS 200 million has been spent on the project's construction.
He said that the funds were distributed without recourse to parliamentary procedures or severe public disclosure requirements. He went on to say that include the Executive Director of the National Cathedral on the list of Presidential Staffers is likewise illegal.
"If you look at the list of Board of Trustees, you'll notice that this gentleman [Dr Paul Opoku Mensah], who has been enlisted here as the Executive Director of the Secretariat, a private entity, has also been enlisted as a Presidential staffer, and his position there is Overseer of the National Cathedral."
He questioned, "Why is the Ghanaian taxpayer supporting someone who works for a private board of trustees?"
The scenario, according to the North Tongu MP, is unlawful and unacceptably dangerous.
"It is unethical and in violation of our Public Financial Management Laws," he stated emphatically. He went on to say that the secrecy surrounding the construction of this project is mind-boggling, stressing that the amount of money sown by the government is still unclear.
"The government's behavior is devoid of openness and humility, and it reaches new heights of illegality. "I am profoundly concerned that these upcoming priests, who have collectively unified this nation, have been pushed together by President [Akufo-Addo] and are indulging in illegality," he stated.
The National Cathedral controversy was reignited after Mr Ablakwa announced that Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta had released GH142 million for its completion in 2020.
The legislator said that thus far, 200 million dollars in unlawful cash had been released to the project in a social media post on Wednesday, June 8.
Mr Ablakwa elaborated on the Show, saying that it is time for the government to be transparent about the project's status.
He added, "You don't create a National Cathedral on falsehoods and fraud."
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