The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta has disclosed that the current administration has paid 283 million Ghana cedis as judgment debt since it took office in 2017.
Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta said the situation is a drain on the country’s economy.
The Finance Minister was responding to a question filed by Member of Parliament (MP), for Mion, Abdul Aziz Mohammed who wanted to know how much the Government paid in judgment debt from January 2017 to date.
The Minister disclosed the country’s judgment debt stood at more than 679 million cedis out of which over 280 million has been paid.
He however, gave the assurance that government is pursuing measures aimed at reducing judgment debts.
According to him, government’s approach is to renegotiate most of these judgment debts and ensure as much savings as as possible is made, insisting that in one case government was able to save the tax payer 90 million Ghana cedis.
Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has accused the Government of paying dubious judgment debts to the Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu, McDan and Bankswitch.
Minority spokesperson on Finance Cassiel Ato Forson said the government must give Ghanaians a breakdown of the payments made and reveal the identities of the individuals and the companies who have received the judgments debts.
He was reacting to the disclosure by the Finance Minister that the current administration has paid over GhC280 million as judgment debt since it took office in 2017.
Mr. Ato Forson said some of the individuals who have received the judgment debt do not deserve the monies handed out to them by government.
According to him, information available to the minority indicates that government has paid the likes of McDan, Bankswitch, and the Special Prosecutor an amount of Judgment debt. He said the minority is not clear as to whether they qualify to receive that amount, and it calls for further investigation.
