By Edzorna Francis Mensah
The NDC Caucus in Parliament has condemned what they described as “the naked and shameful abuse of the judiciary by certain undemocratic elements seeking to gag NDC Members of Parliament and prevent us from carrying out our constitutional mandate of oversight.”
According to them, the instant preposterous and cowardly legal action against their colleague, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, by President Akufo-Addo’s appointee to the Board of Trustees of the “scandal-ridden National Cathedral” of Ghana, who now claims to be called Kwabena Adu Gyamfi even though all public records, including incorporation documents, show that he was duly appointed as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, is “nothing but a desperate effort to stifle parliamentary scrutiny and pervert the course of justice”.
A statement issued, dated February 7, 2023, and signed by Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, Leader, Minority Group in Parliament, said, “to grant an interim injunction preventing further publication on a matter of enormous public interest and to a man of dubious double identity is a palpable constitutional affront”.
The statement further stressed that the claim by the applicant that the continuous publication of his personal information violates his privacy raises legitimate, legal, and logical questions about which of his dual identities with his different names, different dates of birth, different TINS, different mothers, and different national IDs actually refers to him.
“It is also most shocking that the court will grant an exparte injunction in a matter of this nature, and particularly when incontrovertible court records show that the man who now claims to be Kwabena Adu Gyamfi with an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng only recently obtained judgment from the same judiciary as Victor Kusi Boateng.
The NDC Caucus in Parliament also condemns in the strongest terms the crude disregard for the appropriate procedure of how Members of Parliament are to be served with court documents through the Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament. Multiple Speakers of Parliament across the political divide have emphasized this in many constitutionally sound rulings.”
Mr. Ato said, ambushing an MP with a secret video recording on the premises of a television station after an interview by people ironically claiming to be apostles of the protection of privacy as happened to our distinguished colleague Okudzeto Ablakwa on the precincts of Metro TV on the 3rd of February, 2023 can only be the orchestration of a frustrated and lawless cabal.
The NDC Caucus in Parliament expressed their full confidence in the “impressive, courageous and patriotic parliamentary oversight qualities with which our respected colleague, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has pursued this national cathedral conflict of interest and dual identity scandal” as they assures that, “Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa can count on our unflinching solidarity, especially during the pendency of that unmeritorious, vexatious and ridiculous Kwabena Adu Gyamfi—Victor Kusi Boateng case”.
The Minority Group in Parliament therefore, served notice that they shall not be intimidated or cowed by judicial abuse, tyranny and fascist tactics and “we are determined to boldly pursue all aspects of this scandal-plagued National Cathedral project and the related matters of conflict of interest, dual identity, diversions, procurement breaches and blatant corruption without let or hindrance during this 3rd Session of the 8th Parliament”.
