National Cathedral Brouhaha: Should we sing for you? - Kabila to Okudzeto Ablakwa

Former acting CPP General Secretary, James Kwabena Bomfeh, a.k.a Kabila, has slammed the Member of Parliament for North-Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over his recent allegations regarding the National Cathedral.

The one-man crusader, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa, has been on a mission to unearth the rot that is going on with the construction of the National Cathedral.

The MP has accused Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, founder of the Power Chapel Worldwide in Kumasi who is also the Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, of engaging in conflict of interest and being in possession of multiple identities among other alleged criminal dealings.

According to him, Rev. Kusi-Boateng reportedly transferred GH¢2.6million from the National Cathedral Secretariat to JNS Talent Centre Limited, a company owned by him under his second name, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.

Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the same person bearing the name Victor Kusi Boateng, the MP said in an interview on Peace FM News bulletin.

He has filed a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the matter.

In response to the accusations, Rev. Kusi Boateng, in a statement released to the press, says he will seek redress over the "defamatory statements" by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

“I wish to assure the general public that the statements made by Mr. Ablakwa are a twisted narration of events to pursue a malicious political agenda. There has never been any criminal intent nor any crime committed in my dealings with the Government of Ghana or the National Cathedral", parts of the statement read.

The National Cathedral Secretariat has jumped to the defence of Rev Victor Kusi Boateng saying “as a normal verification – expected of a Member of Parliament – would have revealed, this was not an illegal payment but rather a refund of a short-term interest-free loan made by JNS to top up the payments to the contractors of the National Cathedral”.

Speaking to Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, James Kwabena Bomfeh questioned the approach that Mr. Ablakwa used to allegedly expose the religious leader.

He asked why he (Okudzeto Ablakwa) would take to Facebook to make the allegations when Parliament has the authority to summon him or any person whose actions are questionable.

"You have the authority to call the Finance Minister. You have the authority to call the Attorney General. You have the authority to summon any person who is the Head of Secretariat of a State-owned enterprise or project. You didn't call him but discussed it on Facebook. Should we sing for you? Is this how to fight corruption?", he said.

He also advised them to resort to the law court to resolve issues of corruption and criminal-related actions.

"Whether we like it or not, by acquiescence, the National Cathedral is a national project endorsed by Parliament, endorsed by the Supreme Court of Ghana. Let's stop the hypocrisy. Let's tell the truth and stop these diatribes. In executing the project, if some financial impropriety is going on, resort to the court. Nobody is above the law," he said.