The ranking member of Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abujunapo, is doubling down, also dismissing claims that the minority paid evacuees to discredit the evacuation exercise.

Those further inquiries have uncovered additional grave anomalies and disturbing contradictions that deepen our suspicions about the handling of these public funds.

Independent media investigations have also uncovered damning and disturbing revelations of evacuees who reportedly did not receive the allowances.

duplicate entries, payments recorded without signatures, and expenditure for which supporting receipts were unavailable.

The evidence before us reveals grave financial irregularities, compelling indications of the misapplication of public funds and possible fraud.

We have followed the press conference addressed by some persons who described themselves as evacuees, alleging that the minority had paid some of its members to speak against the government.

Let me place on record that at no point in time did the minority engage pay, and or convince any of these evacuees to speak against the government.

If you wanted accountability as a minority, why didn't you allow the sector minister to appear before you and account to the public?

Mm-hmm

... of the code of conduct.

Uh, [foreign language] when the minister's, uh, leadership, uh, results in, um, the loss of confidence of the public in him, uh, and, and, and, and there's a breach of the public trust now, the minister should resign now.

Me, me, me, me, me, [foreign language]Na yesu Sebi you bet you home for now.

I'm Rakhi and be I better for you.

Better says I assume we are.

Sebi Sebi Ghana for Sika and the far you know you know free South Africa by now.

We are complaining about.

Mm.

Let me, um, say good morning to your cherished listeners and viewers, and to very quickly point out, I've been listening to the minister since 8:00 AM, uh, to assure the minister that, um, whatever is happening or whatever is happening between the committee and particularly the minority side of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and for that matter, him, it's, it's not personal.

There's absolutely nothing personal about it.

If there is a group of people who have cooperated with the, with the ministry in his work, I think it's, is a, is a Committee of Foreign Affairs and then the minority side of the committee.

Um, we have just raised a simple issue, and that simple issue is that the ministry and government undertook this laudable exercise, which we all supported from the very get-go.

The minister put out the amount of money which was expended on the, on undertaking this exercise, this evacuation, 49.72 million cedis.

It's the minister who put it out himself.

... note, 11 September 2023.

Good move from the government of Ghana.

Well, thank you very much.

And let me first of all say that we are still interrogating this decision announced by the foreign minister and therefore will come out with an official definitive position on the decision of the government.

But I think I can make some preliminary remarks.

And those were remarks we made when the foreign minister briefed the committee on his intention to present a memorandum to cabinet in respect of joining BRICS.

First of all, all foreign policy must be near to national interests.

So there's absolutely no benefit in a foreign policy move if it does not in New York to the national interest of a particular country.

What would you say finally?

Mm.

It was President Kufuor acting through his then attorney general, Nana Akufo-Addo, who repealed it.

And the point was that that was the only, uh, law left on the statute books of our country which criminalized free speech.

Which meant that if I sat here and I said something libelous-

Mm

...

in, in whatever you are doing.

You should have a can-do spirit.

In, eh, eh, di kai, what, what do you find, eh, problematic with the breakdown, ah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Erebetru Ja, effa evacuations akoso, especially from South Africa?

Yo, Obi, mi dase.

Um, di di kai, me jidi se, ah, semetu Yenianom ewo South Africa eba yenina.

Yeni, eh, minority fo aye wo parliament.

Ye di yemua ne yadrinfe.

Eni ebidi adi ata Ministry of Foreign Affairs echi.

Efrisa amrena besinne.

Okay.

Well, we'll tell you more where the bill is currently on in Parliament, plus hear from the minority.

We do not want regional tribunals.

They bring about bad memories, scary memories and bad dreams and intimidation in our country.

Let's reject it.

Listen to MP for Damango, Samuel Abujin, upon the floor of Parliament on Wednesday.

Build more court complexes.

Recruit more judges.

Recruit more judicial staffs.

really because we need the numbers to back your claim.

I'll give you all that.

I'm just telling you that the budget of 2025 compensation was 2.7 billion.

At the level of appropriation, it was revised to 362 million Ghana cities because national security has been taken out.

In the 2016 budget, compensation has been pegged at 540 million Ghana cities.

Now you ask the question, why do you have fewer ministers or fewer appointees and yet compensation seems to be up? Let me give you the answer.

And here I speak as former Deputy Chief of Staff who was largely responsible for human resources under President Akufo-Addo's first term.

And so are you saying that you're not pleased with that explanation?