The Minority in parliament has served notice to renew their fight for government to render account on COVID -19 related expenses.
Addressing the parliamentary press corps on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu affirmed the need to pursue probity and accountability with regards to the COVID funds and related expenses following the recent revelation by a former Parliamentary candidate and Second Northern Regional Vice Chairperson of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Felicia Tetteh.
He said the Minority feels vindicated by the revelations made by Felicia Tetteh, who contested the Sagnarigu parliamentary seat on the ticket of the NPP in the 2020 elections.
Felicia Tetteh disclosed that she received a sum of Ghc100,000 out of the total amount of COVID-19 funds. “The Covid fund came, I was given Ghc 50,000; my quota was Ghc 50,000 as a regional second Vice then who doubles as the parliamentary candidate for Sagnarigu, I had another Ghc 50,000; making it Ghc 100,000. The constituency was given Ghc 200,000. The MCE was given Ghc 30,000 and the chairman was given Ghc 20,000 whilst the other executives got Ghc 10,000”,
Following this disclosure Mr. Haruna Iddrisu said; “We in the Minority in parliament as much as we feel vindicated we also feel equally scandalised by emerging reports by leading members of the New Patriotic Party in particular a lady vice chair called Felicia from the Northern Region, Felicia Tetteh who is publicly reported to have said that Covid monies were shared amongst party leadership, constituency regional and for my purposes I add national.
That in fact makes our call for an eminent investigation of the highly anomalous Covid expenditures pending to be probed; probed by parliament, or by the Auditor General, or if President Nana Addo Danquah has any respect for the tenets and values of accountability and transparency to authorize a public probe, enquiry into how the over 19 billion Covid monies were disbursed and utilized”
According to him, it is now clear why a motion by the Minority in parliament to probe COVID by an institution which should be the most fundamental institution in guardian of the public purse, parliament would dismiss the motion even at birth by actors of the New Patriotic Party political administration.
The Minority therefore called on the president, and reminded him that the 1992 Constitution is premised on probity and accountability and that if he has any respect for the values of integrity; let him probe COVID and COVID spending across the country
“But we are to believe for now, and conclude that the Felicia evidence is good evidence and that when his Excellency John Mahatma addressed some groups in the United States barely a month ago and stated that Covid resources were used to prosecute the 2020 elections little did he know that Felicia Tetteh would come and affirm that which His Excellency John Mahama stated”.
They believe the revelation is just a tip of the iceberg as more revelations would come upon further probe.
Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com