Gomoa Central Member of Parliament, Kwame Asare Obeng (popularly known as A-Plus), has formally petitioned the Speaker of Parliament to support the removal of Hon. Abena Osei Asare as Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The request stems from the assertion that Mad Abena Osei Asare’s previous role as Deputy Minister of Finance compromised her ability to lead the committee effectively, as the matters currently under PAC review occurred while she served in the Ministry.
Mr. Obeng argues that allowing someone who presided over financial activities now under scrutiny to sit in judgment constitutes “hypocrisy” and “an insult to the intelligence of the Ghanaian people,” asserting that such a situation undermines the integrity and dignity of Parliament’s crucial oversight function.
In his letter to the Rt. Hon. Speaker, the MP highlighted that the period of Mad Osei Asare’s tenure at the Ministry of Finance was marked by “reckless borrowing, fiscal indiscipline, and multiple controversial contracts,” including the SML contract, the ECG-Beijing Jo Loss Reduction agreement, and the Service Ghana Auto Limited ambulance procurement deal, all of which are currently under investigation by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
He further cited her public defense of the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Rev. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, regarding the disclosure of his age, as raising doubts about her commitment to transparency. Mr. Obeng contends it is “morally indefensible” and “inconsistent with the ethical standards of parliamentary oversight” for her to preside over a committee demanding accountability from newly appointed officials for issues that transpired under her direct watch, urging the Speaker to take immediate steps to safeguard the integrity, impartiality, and moral authority of the Committee and Parliament as an institution.
Copies of the letter were also sent to the Majority and Minority Caucuses in Parliament, the Clerk of Parliament, the Public Services Commission (PSC), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Head of Civil Service, and the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
Ruth Abla ADJORLOLO
