Politics of Thursday, 4 May 2023
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2023-05-04Ablakwa would have been in prison by now if the court had upheld Kusi Boateng’s case – Suhuyini
Rev Victor Kusi Boateng and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, has applauded his colleague Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, for his unwavering commitment to exposing what he describes as a "holy scam" in the construction of the National
Read full articleCathedral.
Speaking in a panel discussion on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on May 3, 2023, the lawmaker stated that if the court had upheld Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng's case, Okudzeto Ablakwa would have been in prison for daring to expose what he called a "scam done in the holy name of God."
“Well, if the court had upheld the applicant's case, Hon Ablakwa would have woken up in prison this morning, for daring to expose a holy scam. It is a scam that is done in the holy name of God. I think Hon Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has to be commended by all well-meaning Ghanaians for how he stayed on this cathedral matter,” he said.
He added that Okudzeto’s exposé has brought to light all sorts of malfeasance and financial impropriety surrounding the project.
He noted that many Ghanaians are now waking up to the scam which was being carried out under the guise of building a house of God.
The Tamale North MP also criticized the government's decision to pull down bungalows occupied by some justices of the court with their families to make way for the Cathedral. He argued that many people had expressed reservations about the project from the outset, but the size of the crime was not immediately apparent.
He expressed the hope that the project would be subject to greater scrutiny to ensure that it was not used as a cover for financial malfeasance.
“When it began, many people expressed reservations especially when the government at the time decided to pull down some slightly used bungalows that were occupied by some justices of the court with their families.
“…but people didn’t see the size of the crime that we were going to perpetuate in the name of God but fortunately, with the dedication and the focus of Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, many people are beginning to wake up to the scam. You know all manners of things that are not just downright leading to losses of huge sums of money to the Ghanaian people all in the name of building a house of God,” he added.
Meanwhile, an Accra High Court has dismissed the contempt case against Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa brought by the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.
This was after the court indicated that the evidence presented by Kusi Boateng and his lawyers was fraught with inconsistencies and doubt.
The court further noted that the contempt application failed to meet the legal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Background:
Reverend Kusi Boateng had filed a motion, pleading with the court to commit Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa to prison.
The opposition lawmaker, Okudzeto, had kicked a writ meant to be served on him by a court bailiff on Friday, February 3.
He had given the pretext that he was on his way to Parliament when the bailiff approached him at the forecourt of Accra-based Metro TV to be served Rev. Kusi Boateng’s writ.
Kusi Boateng's motion sought to draw the court's attention to a possible contempt case against the lawmaker, citing what he said was untruths when Okudzeto said he was served while on his way to parliament.
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