The Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, who has been accused of using the Presidency for profiteering has been cleared of any wrongdoing over issues surrounding the recently held Ghana Expatriate Business Award (GEBA).
The committee report presented to parliament ahead of a debate on it found no evidence to support the claim first made by Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mohammed.
“After the hearings and the analysis and evaluation of the evidence adduced before it has come to conclusion that there is no merit in the allegations levelled against the Ministry of Trade and Industry as contained in the Motion and which culminated in the setting up of the Special Committee” the report said.
Muntaka Mohammed alleged that the Trades and Industry Ministry provided support for a private event organiser which sold seats to anyone interested in sitting close to the president at an awards dinner for expatriates.
The Minority NDC condemned the move as unethical, that the Ministry partnered Millennium Challenge Foundation to collect the monies.
The Minority pushed for a probe which was unexpectedly granted by the Speaker of Parliament.
After about four weeks of work, the committee has prepared a report set to be debated along partisan lines.
Among the recommendations contained in the report is that the Controller and Accountant General and the Ministry of Finance should consider in the formulation of the new Regulation of the PFM Act, adequate provision to cater for public private partnership arrangement and emerging or contemporary issues.
Furthermore, the report also recommends that they should have a second look at the recall mechanism and ensure that it is not needlessly invoked at any time because of its mandatory nature in the Constitution.
