Ken Ofori-Atta’s Databank pocketing millions from gov’t bond deals getting richer — KKD
Veteran broadcaster, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, popularly known as KKD has blamed Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and Parliament for the woes of the Ghanaian economy.
He described as foolishness and nonsensical the use of Databank as transactional advisors for the international loans Ghana takes.
Speaking on GTV Breakfast Show on Wednesday, August 17, 2022, he questioned why only Ofori-Atta’s company Data Bank is used as a transactions advisor to the government on loans that are entered into.
He called out Parliament for sleeping on their job by allowing Ofori-Atta to engage in such activities with his own company.
According to him, “I read a report yesterday that broke my heart. I saw how much Ghana owes but I also found that apparently, the minister of finance’s company or former company, is the transaction advisor to the monies we borrow. So, as Ghana gets poorer, the minister of finance’s company or former company gets richer.”
“Is this what we want to continue in this country? Do we want to elect people into office, give them their pay and perks and then allow them and their friends and their companies or their former companies to be the very beneficiaries of the woes of our country?” KKD asked.
He lamented how some industry players have been deprived of their finances while government officials use their companies to milk the country.
He stated that it was important for parliament to stop the plunder by passing laws that proscribe the finance minister from using his private company as a transaction advisor for state loans.
“This is not only about the minister of finance; this is about parliament; parliament, you must be ashamed of yourself. You have failed the people of Ghana because I don’t think from the time of Nkrumah to date, whoever is the minister of finance should be benefitting every time our country goes to borrow money,” he complained.
“Is that what happened to everybody in this country? What precedent are we setting? Yesterday, when I read the report, I was so broken and I was like: ‘Do people know this?’ So, I called four different people; some in civil society, some in government, some in the former government, and they said: ‘Oh, but this is general knowledge, and I’m like: ‘It’s general knowledge and parliament thinks it’s OK?'”, he noted.
“So, whoever wins the next election will also set up their own companies and be the transaction advisors when we go and take a loan? What is wrong with us as a people? So, the person’s motive for even going for a loan, for me, now, is not clear because every time we take a loan, their company makes money. Does this make sense to us as a people?” KKD stated.
He said: “We have leaders of the industry, some, who have been deprived of their finances and, in the meantime, the people who are sitting in power, are stealing us blind and all people can tell me is: ‘Oh, but this is general knowledge’. What sort of foolishness and nonsense is going on in this country? What a shame! What a damn shame!”
“When they are out of power, will they want whoever comes into power, to repeat what they are doing? This is not NDC, or NPP. Parliamentarians, you are supposed to help us protect the public purse. You can’t just go and sit there and vote: ‘I am NPP, I am NDC’. Vote your conscience and vote for your constituency.
“You cannot become the transaction advisor for going to take loans when you are the minister of finance. How is that possible?” he stressed.
