Parliament Summons Foreign Minister

Shirley Ayorkor Botwey, Ghana’s Foreign Minister is to appear before Parliament to explain to the House over allegations of corruption in the processing of Ghanaian Passports at Ghana’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, New York.

The Foreign Minister would be telling the House what her Ministry has done about the saga.

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu and Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Okudzeto Ablakwa is scheduled to ask the sector Minister about the above allegations per the business statement of the House for the last week. This is expected to be done before the House goes on recess on Friday March 23rd, 2018.

An 11-minute video recently went viral on social media, featuring a man believed to have the name Kumasi Nyame who leveled a number of allegations against some staff of the New York Ghana Mission office.

He alleged the said Staff members were involved in several anomalies including duplicates and triplicates in the visa and passport renewals applications database. He named several people of the office as part of a cabal perpetuating the corrupt practices.

As a result, the Minister has been summoned by the House to explain to Ghanaians prevailing events and what steps the Ministry is taking to address the issue.

Similarly, thirteen (13) Ministers are due to appear before the House within the week to answer questions from about sixteen (16) Members of Parliament.

Pursuant to Article to Order 70(2) of the Standing Orders of the House, Ministers of State may be permitted to make statements of government policy, including statements duly admitted by the Speaker, per Order 72 of the Standing Orders of the House.

Bills, Papers and Reports of Committees may be presented to the House for reading, including those of urgent nature would also be taken through the various stages in one day, in accordance with Order 119.

The House will have extended sittings to enable it execute all the responsibilities available to before going on recess.

Papers to be presented before the House includes, but not limited to the Proposed Formula for Distributing the District Assemblies’ Common Fund (DACF) for the year 2018, the National Petroleum Authority (Bulk Road Vehicle and Volume Monitoring (Amendments) Regulations, 2018, the Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendments) Bill, 2018 and about nine other papers and reports.

Motions to be carried and adopted include, but not limited to Report of the Finance Committee on the Protocol between the Republic of Ghana and the Swiss Confederation Amending the Convention of 23rd July, 2008 between the Republic of Ghana and the Swiss Confederation for the Avoidance of Double Taxation with respect to Taxes on income, on Capital and on Capital Gains and its Protocols and nine (9) other consequential resolutions.

There will be Committee meetings as well, with the House expected to be adjourned sine die by the Rt. Hon. Michael Aaron Oquaye, Speaker of the 7th Parliament of Ghana on Friday 23rd March, 2018