Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that the National Cathedral of Ghana project is accumulating debts even though construction work on the project has been halted due to a lack of funds.
During an appearance on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show, Ablakwa clarified that the accumulations by early August 2023 had reached a total of $52 million.
He advised individuals asserting that the project was gradually fading away that their stance was inaccurate, as it was still incurring expenses for taxpayers. He highlighted that those suggesting harm had already been inflicted and asserting that the project had been at a standstill for 17 months, potentially succumbing to a natural cessation were not accurate in their assessment.
“I want to avert the minds of people who may be thinking that way to the fact that the contract which has been signed, a very very terrible contract per experts, even though work is not going on, there are accruals. There is something in the contract called suspension claims,” he submitted on August 5, 2023.
“So, even though the government has suspended work, every month, Ghana is paying US$500,000. Every month, so it is accruing, as we speak, the accruals alone have come to US$52 million,” he revealed.
He reminded that US$58 million had been spent already before going on to give a break down of the accruals as follows:
a. US$29m certified claim from Ribade, after the company stopped work and laid off staff in March 2022
b. Interest claim on the US$29 million is US$13 million that is what contractors are saying
c. Suspension of work so far has accrued debt of US$10m
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that despite the suspension of work on the National Cathedral of Ghana project due to a lack of funds, the project’s debt continues to grow. As of early August 2023, the accumulated debt has reached a staggering US$52 million.
Ablakwa emphasized that even though construction activities are not currently ongoing, certain contractual obligations are responsible for the ongoing debts. Notably, a concept known as “suspension claims” requires the Ghanaian government to make monthly payments of US$500,000, even during the period of suspended construction. This practice has significantly contributed to the substantial debt that has accrued.
Breaking down the sources of the debt, Ablakwa provided the following information:
A certified claim of US$29 million from Ribade, the company responsible for the construction, arising from their decision to halt work and lay off staff in March 2022.
An interest claim amounting to US$13 million on the aforementioned US$29 million, as reported by the contractors.
An additional debt of US$10 million attributed to the suspension of work itself.
This information underscores the intricate financial challenges associated with managing large-scale infrastructure projects. It highlights the potential financial consequences that can persist even when construction activities are temporarily put on hold.
This situation raises pertinent questions about the financial oversight, contractual agreements, and overall management of the National Cathedral project. Transparent communication and accountability are crucial aspects that need to be emphasized in such endeavors to ensure that public funds are utilized with maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has asserted that Ghanaians must acknowledge the highly irresponsible model chosen for the national cathedral project, labeling it as the most reckless approach seen in any national endeavor.
Ablakwa highlighted the demolition of significant structures, including the Scholarship Secretariat, passport head office, Judicial Training Institute, Judges’ bungalows, and the residence of the Malian ambassador.
He warned of potential diplomatic tensions due to the latter’s demolition.
Ablakwa emphasized that the push for an inquiry into the stalled project, supported by a private member’s motion, is driven by concerns over irregularities, procurement breaches, lawlessness, and conflicts of interest.
The establishment of an ad-hoc committee by Parliament to investigate the National Cathedral project and related matters aligns with Ablakwa’s efforts. He clarified that the intent isn’t opposition to a place of worship but rather addressing the project’s governance and priorities.
In contrast, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, asserted that institutions affected by demolitions had been fully compensated and provided with alternative lands for relocation.
He dismissed claims of inadequate compensation, stating that affected institutions were operational in various parts of Accra.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has stated that all institutions whose structures were demolished to make way for the National Cathedral construction have received full compensation from the state.
He confirmed that these institutions have been granted alternative public lands to relocate their businesses and activities.
During his appearance before Parliament, Mr. Jinapor refuted reports claiming that the government had not adequately compensated the affected institutions.
He emphasized that all the institutions that faced demolition have been duly compensated and are still operating in various parts of Accra.
“All the affected institutions have been provided with alternative places and relocated to various areas in Accra and these institutions include public and private, and they have been adequately compensated.”
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has decided to proceed with its investigations despite preliminary objections raised by the Finance Minister and the Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.
The objections were related to an amount of GH¢2.6 million paid to JNS Talent, a company owned by Rev. Kusi Boateng.
In its ruling, CHRAJ dismissed the objections and upheld the validity of the complaint filed by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
This means that the commission will continue its inquiry into the matter, seeking to shed light on the allegations and ensure a thorough examination of the financial transaction in question.
“It is therefore clear that although a company is a separate legal entity from its members and officers, there are instances under which the corporate veil will be pierced. This is to enable one to go behind the mere status of the company as a separate legal entity distinct from its shareholders/members and to allow one to consider who are the persons, shareholders or even agents, directing and controlling the activities of the company.
“It is the case of the Complainant that the National Cathedral of Ghana has by its board, indulged in procurement breaches and as such, it is only right that in the interest of public policy, the Board be made a party to this investigation so as to ensure an efficient and expeditious exercise. For the above-enunciated reasons, the preliminary objections raised by the Respondents are overruled and the Commission will thus continue with its investigations in the matter.”
In January 2023, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa lodged a petition with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) requesting an investigation into Reverend Victor Kusi-Boateng, the Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees. The petition raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, including allegations of possessing multiple identities and engaging in other purported criminal activities.
The petition, received by two Deputy Commissioners of CHRAJ, specifically pointed out an alleged transfer of GH¢2.6 million from the National Cathedral Secretariat to JNS Talent Centre Limited, a company owned by Rev. Kusi-Boateng under the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
Mr. Ablakwa’s objective in filing the petition was to invoke CHRAJ’s mandate as provided by Article 218 of the 1992 Constitution to investigate what he termed as an “odious conflict of interest” regarding Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng’s position on the National Cathedral Board. The allegation was that he paid his own company a substantial sum of GH¢2.6 million without any corresponding work being done.
The petition highlighted that Rev. Kusi-Boateng, also the founder of Power Chapel Worldwide, was allegedly operating under the identity of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi when the GH¢2.6 million payment was made by the National Cathedral Board.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng. The two are, therefore, one and the same,” Mr Ablakwa alleged in a statement on his Facebook wall that preceded the petition.
Mr Ablakwa said documents revealed that two other persons, Sheila Eshun and Kwabena Adu Gyamfi were also directors of JNS Talent Centre Limited.
“From unassailable and irreproachable documents in my possession, Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng, aka Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, uses multiple passports and multiple identification cards with different names and different dates of birth as his special modus operandi.”
The Human Rights Court on Thursday, July 13, dismissed an application filed by Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng which sought to restrain Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa from citing him during discussions of the National cathedral project.
After the MP was captured on camera kicking court papers meant to serve him in connection with a defamation claim launched against him, Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng’s attorneys filed the contempt charges.
The NDC lawmaker was sued by Reverend Kusi Boateng for writing articles implying that he was using a false identity and engaging in a conflict of interest because he was reportedly using the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
In a Facebook post, Mr Ablakwa noted that “the court’s judgment was emphatic that my parliamentary oversight had unraveled two distinct identities in conduct which borders on criminality.”
According to him, the application was dismissed for “lack of capacity and locus standi.”
The judge awarded the cost of GHS10,000.00 against Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.
Mr Ablakwa says he dedicates this “latest legal victory to the masses who have kept me resolute with their prayers and support for transparent and accountable governance.”
“I am indebted to my outstanding legal team,” he added.
However, there is one more impending defamation suit against Mr Ablakwa.
Summary of Judgment
It has been proven that Kwabena Adu Gyamfi and Victor Kusi Boateng are two separate identities concurrently used by the Applicant and 1st Respondent is justified in his claims that, Victor Kusi Boateng is not an alias but another separate identity altogether.
The way the two identities were used does not suggest a simple case of two different names, but rather two independent and totally separate identities to conceal applicant’s dealings in a manner that was not obvious, until the investigations and publications of 1st Respondent.
Applicant’s assertion that the use of two names in the manner he has done is not a crime under our laws is misconceived, as the two identities were used in a pattern of duplicity depicting a lack of transparency and this conduct borders on criminality.
The Application was sought to be enforced under Article 33(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which requires an Applicant’s personal interest in the matter to confer locus standi.
From the record, it is not clear which of the two separate identities seeks to enforce its fundamental human rights by this suit. And once there is a clear case of double identity presented and proven before this court, this Application is dismissed for lack of capacity and locus standi.
Costs of GHC10,000 awarded against the Applicant in favour of the 1st Respondent.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency, has refuted allegations of a personal feud with Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng, Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral.
Ablakwa clarifies that he does not personally know Rev. Kusi Boateng and holds no animosity towards him.
He emphasizes that his actions are solely based on parliamentary oversight and his campaign against the National Cathedral Board of Trustees’ secretary.
On July 13, the High Human Rights Court dismissed the contempt charges filed by Rev. Kusi Boateng against the North Tongu MP.
Speaking after winning the court case, the vociferous lawmaker clarified, “It is also to emphasize that at the height of this running battle with Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, it’s a conflict of interest discovery I made that while he sat on the board of the National Cathedral as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, he made payments to an entity, JNS Talent Centre Ltd, where he’s a director in the name of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, with a separate identity, hoping that he will not be found out.”
“People shouldn’t forget the background, because some people have sought to create the impression that this is some personal battle or somebody I don’t like. Not at all, I don’t know him from Adam, it’s nothing personal”.
Ablakwa hailed the court ruling as a triumph for truth and parliamentary oversight, stating that it allows him to proceed with investigations and publications.
In his exposé, Mr. Ablakwa claimed that JNS Talent Centre Ltd, allegedly owned by Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, received a payment of GH¢2.6 million for its involvement in the construction of the National Cathedral.
This payment was reportedly made under the pseudonym name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. According to Ablakwa, documents in his possession indicate that Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the same person as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, who continues to serve on the National Cathedral Board as an Executive Council Member/Director.
In response to the allegations, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng released a statement stating that Mr. Ablakwa’s claims were a “twisted narration of events” and expressed his intention to take legal action against the MP. Subsequently, Rev. Boateng filed an application against Mr. Ablakwa, but the charges were dismissed by the High Court in Accra.
Furthermore, in the most recent development, the Human Rights Court ruled today to dismiss the charges filed against Ablakwa.
Background
Mr. Ablakwa in his exposé alleged that JNS Talent Centre Ltd owned by Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng was paid some GH¢2.6 million to help build the National Cathedral, under the pseudonym name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
According to him, documents in his possession reveal that Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the same as Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng who still serves on the National Cathedral Board as an Executive Council Member/Director.
But in a response to the allegations, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng in a statement said Mr. Ablakwa’s claims are a “twisted narration of events”, and threatened to take the MP on.
He later filed an application against the MP, in which the High Court in Accra dismissed the charges.
And the latest dismissal of the charges against Ablakwa by Human Rights Court was ruled today.
A High Court in Accra has dismissed a case brought by Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, who is also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, against Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Member of Parliament for North Tongu.
Rev. Kusi Boateng, who is a secretary and board member of the National Cathedral project, had sought to stop Ablakwa from making further publications about his alleged involvement in conflict of interest and criminality.
However, the court ruled that Ablakwa had uncovered two distinct and separate identities used by Rev. Kusi Boateng in a manner that was not transparent and bordered on criminality.
The court also awarded a cost of GH¢10,000 against Rev. Kusi Boateng, who had earlier lost another case against Ablakwa for contempt of court.
Ablakwa celebrated the ruling on his Facebook page, dedicating it to the masses who supported him in his quest for transparent and accountable governance.
He also thanked his legal team and said he was ready for the third and final case of defamation filed by Rev. Kusi Boateng.
How did he do it?
According to the summary of the judgment, Ablakwa had conducted investigations and published documents that showed that Rev. Kusi Boateng had used two different names and identities in various transactions and dealings.
For instance, he had registered a company called Power Chapel Worldwide Limited as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, but used Victor Kusi Boateng as his name in other official documents.
He had also acquired properties and bank accounts under both names, without any evidence of change of name or alias.
The court said that this was not a simple case of using two different names, but rather two independent and totally separate identities to conceal his dealings in a manner that was not obvious.
The court rejected Rev. Kusi Boateng’s argument that using two names was not a crime under Ghanaian laws, saying that it was a pattern of duplicity that depicted a lack of transparency and this conduct bordered on criminality.
What does this mean for the National Cathedral?
The National Cathedral project is a controversial initiative by the government to build a multi-faith worship centre in Accra.
It has faced criticism from some sections of the public who question its necessity, cost and location.
Rev. Kusi Boateng is one of the key figures behind the project, as he is a secretary and board member of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees.
His exposure as having a double identity raises questions about his credibility and integrity, as well as the transparency and accountability of the project.
It also casts doubt on his role and influence in the project, as well as his relationship with other stakeholders and donors.
Africa Institute has ended its association with the National Cathedral Architect, Sir David Adjaye, amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
A report from graphicoline.com said President of The Africa Institute, Hoor Al Qasimi, officially severed the institute’s collaborations with Mr Adjaye in response to the sexual assault and harassment allegations raised against Adjaye.
The announcement was made by Al Qasimi in a statement provided to the London-based magazine Dezeen.
Al Qasimi stated that the separation from the architect would not affect the institute’s ongoing research and educational endeavours at its current facilities.
The report indicated that the institute had enlisted Sir Adjaye to design a massive monolithic campus in downtown Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The facility is expected to be made up of an Africa Hall and consists of five high-rise blocks constructed from red-hued concrete, spanning an area of 31,882 square meters.
Background:
Sir David Adjaye, architect of the National Cathedral of Ghana project was accused of sexual impropriety by three Black women he previously worked with.
Whiles Adjaye admitted to having previously been in relationships with the accusers he told journalists that they were all on a consensual basis.
The Financial Times magazine’s Investigations wing published the story on July 4 in a long-form piece titled: “Sir David Adjaye: the celebrated architect accused of sexual misconduct.”
The story essentially centred on the three women narrating the allegations during their time with Adjaye citing instances of sexual assault to harassment.
A lawyer for Adjaye said that the three women each had “their own grievances” against Adjaye, the report added.
In response to questions about allegations made by the three women, Adjaye said: “I absolutely reject any claims of sexual misconduct, abuse or criminal wrongdoing. These allegations are untrue, distressing for me and my family and run counter to everything I stand for.”
He added: “I am ashamed to say that I entered into relationships which though entirely consensual, blurred the boundaries between my professional and personal lives. I am deeply sorry. To restore trust and accountability, I will be immediately seeking professional help in order to learn from these mistakes to ensure that they never happen again.”
Following the publication Sir Adjaye has stepped down from his role as a design advocate for the mayor of London and his role as a trustee of London’s Serpentine Galleries. Also, the New York Times reports that he will not be involved in the UK Holocaust Memorial project until the raised concerns are addressed.
His design has been excluded from the new Studio Museum in Harlem and his association with the project terminated.
Also, the architect’s involvement in the construction of a building for Oregon’s Multnomah County Library has been cancelled after he dissociated himself from the African Futures Institute.
Renowned architect behind projects such as the National Cathedral, SirDavid Adjaye, has been accused of sexual misconduct and harassment by three women who were formerly employed by him. The allegations, which have been thoroughly investigated by the Financial Times, shed light on a work culture marked by exploitation and misconduct.
The three women, who share common characteristics of being black, in their forties, and single mothers, joined Adjaye’s firmwith the belief that it would support their families and showcase black talent in the architectural industry. However, their encounters with the architect disrupted their careers, put them in precarious financial situations, and caused severe mental distress. They have come forward to protect other women from similar abuse and shed light on Adjaye’s private behavior.
According to the Financial Times, their investigation involved interviews with colleagues, family members, and friends who were confidants of the women, as well as a review of contemporaneous emails, documents, and text messages. The accounts of the women were corroborated, revealing a troubling work environment marred by exploitation and misconduct.
Prince William bestows knighthood upon David Adjaye at Buckingham Palace in 2017 on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. (Source: Yui Mok/PA)
Two of the women, Maya and Gene, moved to Ghana in 2018 to assist Adjaye in establishing an architectural office in Accra. However, their expectations clashed with reality as the Accra office frequently delayed salary payments and took time to secure work visas, leaving them financially vulnerable. When Maya and Gene confronted Adjaye about these issues during a dinner meeting, the situation escalated.
Maya and Gene allege that after the dinner, Adjaye led them to his corporate apartment where he engaged in sexual assault and harassment. Adjaye denies these allegations, maintaining that the encounter was consensual and limited to a social interaction. However, the emotional impact on the women and their subsequent conversations with friends lend credibility to their accounts.
Maya also alleges that Adjaye sexually assaulted her at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, forcing her into a bathroom and violating her against her will. Adjaye offers a different version of events, claiming that they entered the bathroom to transfer rugs to Maya’s luggage. The stark contrast between the two narratives leaves room for interpretation, but Maya’s emotional trauma and subsequent mental health struggles cannot be dismissed.
The women’s accounts of the events reveal a pattern of abuse and exploitation. Gene said, “I said, ‘No, this is not right’… I said he was our employer. But he persisted. He applied more pressure, and the feeling was, if you don’t do this, you’re silly, you’re stupid.” Maya felt overpowered and violated during the encounter, describing it as an assault. Both women confronted Adjaye about his abuse of power.
Maya’s mental health spiraled into anger, depression, and suicidal thoughts following the incidents, as confirmed by colleagues and family members. She attempted to raise a grievance within the firm but was dismissed without notice. Maya later sent a personal email to Adjaye describing the assault and demanding compensation, which resulted in a cease and desist letter accusing her of extortion.
Gene’s employment also ended in acrimony, with promises of a loan for rent remaining unfulfilled, causing financial distress. She was eventually dismissed from her job and offered a financial settlement. The events have had a devastating effect on her health and family life.
Multiple former employees of Adjaye’s firm have also voiced complaints about the work environment, describing a disorganized and frantic workplace with long hours and inadequate compensation. The business, which has offices in London, Accra, and New York, has faced allegations of prioritizing a personality cult over employee well-being.
The allegations against Adjaye, a highly respected figure in the architectural industry, have raised concerns about the treatment of women and work culture within the profession.
Who is Sir David Adjaye
Sir David Adjaye is a renowned architect who has made significant contributions to the field of architecture. With an impressive portfolio of projects around the world, Adjaye’s designs are known for their unique blend of innovation, cultural sensitivity, and social impact.
Adjaye’s illustrious career reached new heights with the 2016 inauguration of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. (Source: J Byard/Getty Images)Abu Dhabi’s Abrahamic Family House, a project by Adjaye, opens with mosque, church, synagogue, and interfaith forum (Source: Balkis Press/ABACA/Shutterstock).
Born in Tanzania in 1966, Sir David Adjaye spent his childhood in various countries across Africa and the Middle East. This multicultural upbringing greatly influenced his artistic sensibilities and later became a defining characteristic of his architectural style. Adjaye’s interest in architecture began at a young age, and he went on to study architecture at the Royal College of Art in London.
After completing his studies, Sir David Adjaye founded his own architectural firm, Adjaye Associates, in 2000. The firm quickly gained recognition for its innovative designs and commitment to social impact. One of Adjaye’s earliest notable projects was the Idea Store in Whitechapel, London. This groundbreaking community center combined a library, adult education center, and cultural space, all housed in a striking contemporary building.
Sir David Adjaye’s architectural style is characterized by a harmonious fusion of modernism and cultural references. He draws inspiration from diverse sources, including African art, music, and the urban landscapes of the cities he has lived in. Adjaye’s designs often incorporate bold geometric shapes, intricate detailing, and a thoughtful use of light and materials. His buildings stand out as architectural landmarks, seamlessly blending into their surroundings while making a powerful visual statement.
Lady Ashley Shaw Scott Adjaye is the global head of research at Sir David Adjaye’s architectural practice. (Source: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Over the course of his career, Sir David Adjaye has worked on numerous high-profile projects that have garnered international acclaim. One of his most famous creations is the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. This iconic building showcases Adjaye’s ability to capture the spirit of a community and create a space that tells a powerful story.
Another notable project is the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway. Adjaye’s design for this museum and exhibition space reflects his commitment to social justice and peace-building. The building’s striking exterior and innovative use of materials make it a true architectural masterpiece.
Despite the controversy surrounding him it remains to be seen how they will impact his future prospects and the perception of his work.
Member of Parliament of North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has alleged the Intervene Revenue Service (IRS) of the government of the United States (US) raised concerns about the operation of the National Cathedral of Ghana.
According to him, the tax exemption given to the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc, the subsidiary of the National Cathedral of Ghana in the US, is likely to be cancelled because of the activities of its leaders.
In a series of tweets shared on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, the MP alleged that leaders of the cathedral in the US have been engaging in irregularities which have now been noticed by the US government.
“Nobody knows how much has been raised, the banks being used, signatories to the bank accounts and how the funds raised are disbursed, particularly as the cathedral contractor, RIBADE JV has abandoned site for over a year for lack of payment.
“The US cabal who registered the “National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc” without a single clergy representation has never accounted to the Ghanaian people, neither to the Parliament of Ghana.
“As previously demonstrated, they have in an illegal conduct, not filed a Form 990 report with the IRS of the USA since 2021 which has triggered genuine concerns that per US Federal law, their tax-exempt status would be revoked any moment from now,” parts of the tweet read.
The MP said that operations of the cathedral are continuing in the US despite an order for works on it to cease for an independent audit of its accounts.
“Revered clergymen, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba would be really upset to discover that five months after their explosive, no holds barred memo to the Board of Trustees of the “National” Cathedral demanding that ‘ALL CURRENT ACTIVITIES ADVANCING THE CONSTRUCTION OF GHANA’S NATIONAL CATHEDRAL SHALL BE DEFERRED until an independent audit’.
“… the US cabal who operate as law unto themselves have blatantly defied the respected trustees and are still actively receiving cash donations,” it added.
View the MP’s tweets below
Revered clergymen, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba would be really upset to discover that five months after their explosive, no holds barred memo to the Board of Trustees of the “National” Cathedral demanding that “ALL CURRENT ACTIVITIES ADVANCING THE pic.twitter.com/uOwFcOfcfx
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 13, 2023
experimental exercise of getting residents in the US to make online donations via Visa Cards, we established that contrary to the widely circulated memo expressing the unambiguous demands of the celebrated men of God, which was leaked to the Ghanaian media on January 24, 2023;
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 13, 2023
IRS of the USA since 2021 which has triggered genuine concerns that per US federal law, their tax-exempt status would be revoked any moment from now.
This latest violent defiance of the wishes of Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba is yet another
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 13, 2023
many Ghanaians expect Parliament to expedite action on our motion for a public inquiry duly admitted by Mr. Speaker. May Parliament rise to the occasion and satisfy the overwhelming agitations for accountability.
For God and Country.
Ghana First 🇬🇭
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) June 13, 2023
The Director of the National Cathedral, Dr Paul Opoku Mensah, has taken a swipe at the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, over allegations of corruption he has made on the cathedral project.
According to him, all the allegations the legislator has made on the cathedral project are lies which should be disregarded.
Speaking in an interview on UTV, on Friday, June 9, 2023, Dr Opoku Mensah added that members of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral are mute on the allegations being made by Ablakwa because they can’t go on social media to debate lies.
“None of what Okudzeto Ablakwa is saying is true. We don’t respond to his claims because we are doing the work of God and we can’t follow him to social media (to debate).
“We have all the records of the monies used and they were sent to parliament. This is it, we are not telling lies,” he said in the Twi dialect.
He added that all the support the cathedral project has received from the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government was approved by the Parliament of Ghana.
Ablakwa, in his latest exposé on the National Cathedral, alleged that the architect for the National Cathedral of Ghana, Sir David Adjaye, was paid an additional $6 million just for amending the original design of the cathedral to include a restaurant.
In a series of tweets shared on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, the MP slammed the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government for its continued failure to prioritise the needs of the country given the current economic hardships.
Ablakwa could not believe that the government which says it has no money to pay school feeding caters, can afford to pay for works on the cathedral.
The MP shared a supposed document from the Ministry of Finance showing the said payment.
“Please refer to your letter No. SCR/DE3/296/02 dated 27th April 2021 requesting the release of US$5.817.769.65 (Five Million, Eight Hundred and Seventeen Thousand, Seven Hundred and Sixty- Nine US Dollars, Sixty-Five Cents) to pay consultancy fees in respect of the Variation Orders for the inclusion of 300+ Seater Restaurant and Expansion of the Bible Museum on the National Cathedral Project.
“We wish to suggest that due to budgetary constraints, the request in respect of the Variation Orders be charged to your funding source while Government take steps to provide additional funding for the project in the course of the year,” parts of the document read.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is demanding accountability from the government over the US$58.1million of taxpayer funds illegally withdrawn to fund the construction of the national cathedral project.
In a Twitter post on May 30, the MP fumed over what he believes to be a case of misappropriation by the government with regards to the expenditure for the construction the cathedral.
According to Mr Ablakwa, out of the total sum withdrawn without parliamentary approval, government paid $22.07million to RIBADE JV for the actual construction of the project.
“According to documents submitted to Parliament when we demanded a detailed breakdown of how the US$58.14million (GHS339,003,064.86) was spent, the contractors provided comprehensive analysis of how they utilized the US$22.07million received between January 2021 and February 2022 when they had to suspend work for “lack of funds” even though far more money had been released from government coffers, albeit on the blindside of Parliament,” he wrote.
For this reason, Mr Ablakwa holds the assertion that “more than US$36million was expended on other items other than their core function of construction.”
Mr Ablakwa is infuriated by the fact that although “transparency and truth have never been in such short supply” government continues to demand more the project.
He argued that government cannot demand US$100million to import steel while failing to explain “why only a measly 37.9% of taxpayer funds went into actual construction much against industry best practice.”
“National” Cathedral contractor, RIBADE JV received only US$22.07million out of the US$58.1million of taxpayer funds illegally withdrawn for the project.
Ghanaians are not angry enough.
It is absolutely incredible that with the avalanche of scandals which cannot even fit into pic.twitter.com/aVL7KHz3qy
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) May 30, 2023
He strongly insists that government and the National Cathedral Secretariat “should be rendering full account of how all the categories of funds raised locally and internationally have been used; and how they still managed to create the world’s most expensive pit.”
The North Tongu MP noted that government cannot be evasive with accountability since “owners of the multiple structures demolished are still waiting to be compensated (and) others are in court demanding justifiable compensation.”
Also, Mr Ablakwa wants clarifications on how the contractors, RIBADE JV, have been able to deliver “questionable” results with an amount of $22.07million.
Meanwhile, the legislator has stated that contrary to the claims by Executive Director, Dr. Paul Opoku Mensah that two floors have already been constructed underground, the contractors, RIBADE JV, report to Parliament that they have only carried out excavations.
Also, field visits to the site, he added do not show completed underground floors but “all we have seen is a ‘massive pit in the centre of the city’”.
Executive Director of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Dr. Paul Opoku Mensah, has defended the expenditures that has been incurred in the cathedral’s construction.
This comes as many Ghanaians have described the cathedral project as the most expensive pit in the world because even though over $30 million has been spent on the project, no physical structure can be seen at the site.
But, in an interview with the media on Thursday May 21, Dr Opoku said that some Ghanaians are describing the project as the world’s most expensive pit because they don’t know the nature of work that has gone into it.
He explained that two floors have already been constructed underground and the only major work that has to be done is the placement of a steel structure.
He added that the construction of the cathedral has now stalled because the steel structure will cost $100 million which has not been raised yet.
“After finishing the foundation, we need money that we will use to import all the steel we need. The steel component of the cathedral will be built before it is brought into the country for us to fix.
“After fixing it, we will be left with the concrete and marble cladding and some few works. So, this is why there is a setback in the construction of the cathedral.
“We need about $100 to import the steel. The cathedral is not a small building. It will be a structure, we have never seen in Ghana before,” he said in Twi.
Executive Director/Overseer of the National Cathedral Project, Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, has indicated that government is in urgent need of $100 million to import steel for the construction of the project.
In an interview on Okay FM last Thursday, May 25, Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah made the disclosure, explaining that the steel would be used after foundation works are completed.
“After finishing the foundation, we need money that we will use to import all the steel we need. The steel component of the cathedral will be built before it is brought into the country for us to fix.
“After fixing it, we will be left with the concrete and marble cladding and some few works. So, this is why there is a setback in the construction of the cathedral.
“We need about $100 (million) to import the steel,” he stated.
“The cathedral is not a small building. It will be a structure, we have never seen in Ghana before,” he justified as reason for the large sum of money required.
On the matter, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah noted that upon the arrival of imported steel, a total of 2,000 individuals would be employed to aid construction of the project.
“The materials have to come so work can start immediately. If they start now, they will need roughly 2000 people a day,” he said.
Veteran Ghanaian broadcaster Kwasi Kyei Darkwa, popularly known as KKD, has scoffed at the government’s National Cathedral project that has received divided opinions from the public.
A disgruntled Kwasi Kyei Darkwa belittled the facility situated within 9 acres of newly landscaped gardens adjacent to Osu Cemetery (which is located at North Ridge), describing it as a dam.
In his interaction with JoyNews’ Benjamin Akakpo on Monday, he passionately exclaimed “Now look where we are. Look what monies we’ve spent on the dam at Ridge and we’ve gotten 600 million (dollars).
The National Cathedral project which currently has crater-like features due to the suspension of work over lack of funds, is to provide a 5,000 permanent seat auditorium which expands to 15,000 seats on a 9-acres portion of land. Recent pictures online show the portions of the piece of land being occupied by water.
According to research, the size of a standard dam can vary significantly based on its purpose, location, and design. Considering the land area required for the project, large dams are the closest in comparison.
Large dams are characterized by substantial engineering structures, often exceeding a height of 100 meters, and a reservoir capacity that typically ranges from hundreds of millions to billions of cubic meters. An acre is equivalent to 4,046.86 square meters but since acre is a unit of area and cubic meters is a unit of volume, there is no direct conversion between the two.
This is not the first time the national cathedral project has been ridiculed. An aide to former president John Dramani Mahama, Stan Dogbe on February 4, 2023, described the project as “the most expensive ‘hole’ ever dug in the world.”
“It cost Ghana a whopping GHC 399 million to dig this hole only- for a cathedral that no one knows how much it will finally cost us,” he tweeted.
As of January 2023, the government had spent GH₵339.003.064.86 on the National Cathedral project according to the Executive Director of the National Cathedral Secretariat, Dr Paul Opoku Mensah.
The amount includes a total of GH₵113 million paid to the Consultant, Sir David Adjaye and GH₵225 million paid directly to the Secretariat for the construction of the project.
Monies spent on the national cathedral – a state-owned project have been procured from the Contingency Vault, per information from Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.
While venting his spleen on-air, Kwasi Kyei Darkwa suggested that due to government’s lack of financial prudence, it failed to generate the funds needed for the cathedral from local investors.
“Isn’t that money Jospong Group can give you? Accra Friendship Club which I am a member of, or East Legon Executive Club which I am a member of and many of my friends are members – must be able to raise that money for you if they believe that you will use the money prudently,” he said.
“I have lost fate in this administration,” KKD concluded.
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has indicated that the National Cathedral project will cost over GH¢1. He said this comprises “the cost of compensations, demolition, tax waivers, consultancy, coupled with other stuff needed.”
To ensure that the National Cathedral Project is carried out without any interference and public criticism, the Board of Trustees have contracted an auditing firm, Deloitte to investigate claims of financial embezzlement and corruption.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah, made this known during an interview on Okay FM on Friday, May 27, 2023.
He was responding to some claims made by Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over the construction of the national cathedral.
Mr Ablakwa, in his latest exposé on the National Cathedral, alleged that the American consultant to the National Cathedral project gave an official address that leads to a warehouse.
He said that when he visited the facility during his trip, he saw no offices but rather: “a ramshackle warehouse with the inscription: Churchill Coffee Company, Wholesale Division.”
The MP also said that Eric Okyere Darko, a member of the legal team of Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, was listed as a trustee on the Ghana National Cathedral in Washington DC registration documents in the United States.
The MP stated in his social media post that per his checks, the project’s registration details in Ghana differed from what he got from that of the US.
Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah who is concerned about the allegations made refuted the claims stating that “the things people are saying are not the truth.”
According to him, as part of efforts to prove their innocence, they have subjected themselves and activities to auditing.
“Because we the trustees have not seen any corruption going on with the project… we have now contracted a renowned editing firm, Deloitte, to look into our books, so we are not afraid of anything.
“But what we are urging is that we have laws in this country, and if something is not going well, you have to apply the laws. So that if someone has truly embezzled monies meant for the project, the person will be arrested and prosecuted,” he is quoted to have said by Ghanaweb.
He held the assertion that Mr Ablakwa is riding on his allegations against the national cathedral for popularity.
“If something is truly going on, you don’t just publish them just to become popular. These issues should not be used for a popularity contest, channel them through legal means,” he said.
Meanwhile, the clergy is hopeful the National Cathedral of Ghana, when completed, would become the face of Christianity in Africa. Currently, work on the project has been halted due to lack of funds.
Dr Joyce Aryee, a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, has denied assertions that the government has sponsored the cathedral project with over $100 million.
According to her, the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government has, till date, supported the construction of the cathedral with only GH¢339 million and this amount was approved by the Parliament of Ghana.
Speaking in an interview on Neat FM, on Thursday, May 25, 2023, Dr Joyce Aryee added that the amount the government has supported the cathedral project with from part of the seed money it promised.
“The government said it will help the board with a secretarial because we had nothing. And it also pledged to support us with seed money but didn’t state the quantum of money it will be giving us.
“So far, the money we have received as seed money from the government is GH¢339 million and this money was channelled through parliament,” she said in Twi.
The vice president of IMANI Africa,Bright Simons, has rejected claims in the Ghanaian media that the contract for the design of a new national cathedral for Rwanda, a new Kigali Cathedral, has been awarded to the architect for the National Cathedral of Ghana, Sir David Adjaye.
Simon’s remark comes after claims by proponents of the government and a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Dr Joyce Aryee, that Sir Adjaye, who has been berated for his work in the construction of Ghana’s cathedral, got the Rwanda job because of his competence.
According to the IMANI vice president, his checks from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) confirms that there is no such contract.
“I just confirmed directly with the RDB that no such contract to build a cathedral has been awarded to Sir David Adjaye.
“At least, as of today. Citi Newsroom rarely slips, however. So, this is curious. I wonder,” parts of the tweet he shared on Wednesday, May 25, 2023.
Simon, however, added that the claims are being made because “maybe there is intel that such an award will be made.”.
GhanaWeb, on Saturday, May 21, 2023, fact-checked the claim which was made in a news publication by citinewsroom.com.
What GhanaWeb Fact-Check team found:
Our first stop was to get a local news portal or government site that had reported on the development or even posted about it on social media.
Rwanda’s leading pro-government news portal is the New Time Rwanda news portal which had no active webpage with the story except for a broken link. It appears that the story they published had been pulled down.
Second step, we went through the social media handles of the Rwandan Development Board which had nothing related to Kigali Cathedral throughout May 11, the day the said deal was announced during a budget hearing.
Curious so, because the RDB is very active on social media and posts all major updates of its activities in real-time. Its website also has no trace of such a development.
Third step: The website of Adjaye and Associates will ordinarily post such deals on their news page.
The most recent news on that page dates back to March 21, titled: “Street Plaza by Adjaye Associates with Daniel Boyd,” a reference to a project that they were working on in Sydney, Australia’s Central Business District.
Fourth step: When you type “Rwanda” into the search engine of the Adjaye and Associates website, you get one news item popping up.
It relates to the 2015 story by dezeen.com titled: “David Adjaye unveils designs for children’s cancer treatment centre in Rwanda”
Its first two paragraphs read: “British architect David Adjaye has revealed plans for a 100-bed paediatric cancer centre in Rwanda, East Africa.
“The architect, who was born in Tanzania, is designing the Gahanga International Children’s Cancer Hospital for a four-hectare site in Gahanga, a region to the south of Rwandan capital Kigali.”
The project was actually commissioned by an NGO and co-funded by a Rwandan diplomat.
Conclusion:
There is no concrete evidence that Adjaye and Associates have been commissioned to design the Kigali Cathedral.
What we can report is that there have been plans to build the facility but nothing has so far been mooted about architectural drawings.
The Executive Director of the National Secretariat, Professor Paul Opoku-Mensah has stated that governmentneeds 120 million dollars to complete the National Cathedral project.
Construction work on the National Cathedral has reportedly stalled for some months.
Foundation works on the multi-million dollar project have been completed and workers have been asked to leave site.
The reason for this development, according to the Executive Director of the National Secretariat is due to lack of funds.
National Cathedral
In an exclusive interview on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Tuesday, he stated that they have suspended the project to raise adequate resources to continue.
He indicated that the workers had been sent home until there is enough money to continue with work.
Professor Opoku-Mensah revealed that the pre-engineered steel and other materials for the project need to be imported but there is no money.
He noted that once they get the $120 million, the National Cathedral will be completed for commissioning in 2024.
Prof. Opoku-Mensah said given that the Cathedral Project is of historical significance to the consolidation of Christianity and also has economic value to the state, it is important for it to be pursued vigorously.
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has apologized for kicking court papers served on him by a bailiff in February this year.
The MP was sued for contempt of court by Victor Kusi Boateng, secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, who had earlier filed a restraining order against him for making public disclosures of his private information.
The contempt case, which sought to jail Ablakwa for disrespecting the courts and the judicial system, was dismissed last week with the judge awarding cost of 10,000 cedis to Ablakwa.
Ablakwa has explained why he kicked the court papers as served on him at the premises of Metro TV in Accra, which footage went viral on social media.
Speaking on Good Evening Ghana programme (May 5, 2023) he was asked by co-panelist Nana Akomea why he did what he did in February this year
Ablakwa explained: “I was extremely provoked; I was asking the gentleman who are you and he wouldn’t tell me. He just says ‘I have documents for you,’ I say ‘which documents?’ Just let me know, then he threw it at me.
“So, I lost my cool… honestly that is not me. It was an unfortunate incident …but I felt so disrespected. I was driving myself and I thought I could just kick it out of my way and go away,” he added.
He also said that in court, the plaintiff failed to provide proof of service when the judge demanded it because the supposed bailiff was not known to the court, a fact his lawyers established when they went through the court registry.
He apologized for his action and said he had learned his lesson from the incident. He also thanked his lawyers and supporters for standing by him throughout the case.
He expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the case and said he was vindicated by the court’s ruling. He said he would continue to fight for accountability and transparency in public affairs.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has highlighted a number of reasons that accounted for the dismissal of the contempt of court suit brought against him by clergyman Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.
Ablakwa, speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show on May 5, 2023, said the court threw out Kusi Boateng because of procedural and material evidence relative to service of the suit he is accused of disrespecting.
He revealed that the bailiff who met him at Metro TV in February to serve him with the papers was unknown to the courts.
The judge, he noted had also dismissed the case because of irregularities and inconsistencies in the case of the plaitiff.
“The judge was very clear that the whole arrangement of the attempt to serve me was unconstitutional, it was clearly an entrapment.
“The persons who came to this premises to serve me were not bailiffs of the court, a search was conducted at the registry of court and no court official had been sent to serve me.
“It is still a mystery who those guys are and who did the recording. The whole thing was clearly a set up,” he submitted.
Aside the irregularity and inconsistency bit he also noted that the plaintiff had breached an order of the Chief Justice that only bailiffs should serve originating processes.
Ablakwa described the judgment as “well received, erudite and sound.”
Lawyer Eric Otchere Darko, a trustee of the National Cathedral of Ghana project in the United States, has responded to the latest exposé on the construction of the project by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
According to legal practitioner, the allegation made by the MP, including the National Cathedral being fraudulently registered, are mere fabrications.
Lawyer Otchere Darko explained that none of the clergymen on the Board of the Cathedral in Ghana are not on the Board of Trustees in the US because they are not US citizens.
He added that for a company to be registered under a person’s name in the US, the person must either be a US citizen or a US resident with a green card.
“The National Cathedral Foundation is a tax exemption company and for such a company can only be registered in the US by an American citizen or a green card holder with a social security number,” he said in Twi in an Okay FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
The lawyer also said that a claim by Ablakwa that the consultant of the cathedral project, Cary Lee Summers, was paid US$6 million and operates from a warehouse, is false.
He added that the facility Ablakwa went to was a warehouse and not the office of Lee Summers and that to the best of his knowledge, the consultant has been paid less than $1 million.
What Ablakwa said:
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa alleged that the American consultant to the National Cathedral project gave an official address that leads to a warehouse.
He said that when he visited the facility during his trip, he saw no offices but rather: “a ramshackle warehouse with the inscription: Churchill Coffee Company, Wholesale Division.”
“We also decided to embark on the long travel to Springfield in Missouri where Mr. Cary Lee Summers who has been given US$ 6 million of our money is described on the National Cathedral of Ghana website as Consultant for the United States.
“When we arrived at that address, there was nothing about the Nehemiah Group. We surprisingly saw quite a ramshackle warehouse with the inscription: Churchill Coffee Company, Wholesale Division,” he added.
The MP also said that Eric Okyere Darko, a member of the legal team of Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, was listed as a trustee on the Ghana National Cathedral in Washington DC registration documents in the United States.
The MP stated in his social media post that per his checks, the project’s registration details in Ghana differed from what he got from that of the US.
Also, whiles eminent clergymen were dominant on the Board of Trustees in Ghana registration papers, in the case of the US, there were three persons.
The only common personality on both sides is Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, the Executive Secretary to the National Cathedral of Ghana project.
MP for North Tongu, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, has disclosed how he fund his National Cathedral Exposé.
North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has denied reports that he is sponsored by some anti-Christ groups for his National Cathedral probes.
He said he will not even entertain such offers because Christianity is the best religion for him.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, May 6, Mr Ablakwa revealed that he uses part of his salaries as MP for his investigations into the controversial project.
The outspoken lawmaker thus urged Ghanaians to disregard any claims that he is being funded by certain groups for his works.
“I don’t have funding from any external sources. I just use my salary to do the work I do. I am just sacrificing a little of what I am paid to do.
“Sometimes I hear people suggest that maybe I am supported mh some anti-Christ groups. That is not true and I won’t even entertain that. I believe Christianity is the best of religions,” Mr Ablakwa said.
The former Deputy Education Minister has been serialising “bombshells” about the project following his visit to the USA.
In his latest epistle, he has brought forth evidence of some portions of the incorporation documents for the project’s fundraising, raising questions about its propriety.
In a Facebook post on May 4, Mr Ablakwa posted a series of documents to back up his claims that the project is fraught with criminal activity.
The MP’s evidence suggests that the National Cathedral of Ghana had registered a subsidiary in Washington under a different name and with different “governors” – the American term for trustees.
The Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member also provided some documents to claim that a deceased person’s details were used in the registration of the National Cathedral’s fundraising arm in the US.
Ablakwa alleged that a dead Hispanic’s details were used to register the American fundraising wing, which the Cathedral Secretariat described as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SP), in March 2021.
“Painstaking and unimpeachable investigations shockingly reveal that the March 2021 incorporation of the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc in Washington, D.C. was criminally executed through IDENTITY THEFT.”
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has made claims that his inquiries and checks with American authorities reveal criminal activity in some of the incorporation paperwork for the National Cathedral of Ghana’s fundraising section.
The allegations, backed, by documents were posted on his social media handles on May 4, 2023 in what he said was the second installment of the American Edition of National Cathedral Scandals.
In the first part of his disclosures, Ablakwa provided evidence by way of registration documents to show that the National Cathedral of Ghana had registered a subsidiary in Washington under a different name and that it different ‘governors’ – the American term for trustees.
On the issue of the use of false identity used to register the American fundraising wing, which the Cathedral Secertariat described as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), he said a dead Hispanic’s details were behind the particular serial number used in the March 2021 registration.
“Painstaking and unimpeachable investigations shockingly reveal that the March 2021 incorporation of the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc in Washington, D.C. was criminally executed through IDENTITY THEFT.
“By an intercepted IRS tax exempt letter dated December 13, 2021 — I can confirm that the Employer ID Number for the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc is: 86-3859197. (See letter attached).
“Further irrefutable forensic investigations reveal that the Social Security Number of: 863-85-9197 used to generate the Cathedral’s Employer ID Number belongs to one Jose Salgado. (See evidence attached).”
His writeup continued: “Deeper investigations and impregnable gold-standard validation which include a report from police database has established that 31 year-old Jose Salgado who has many aliases including Jose Luis Delapaz, Jose Isabel Salgado, Jose Luis Paz and Jose L De was born in March 1983 and died on September 17, 2014. (See extract attached).
“It has therefore emerged beyond any scintilla of doubt that the Social Security Number of a deceased young male Hispanic who died 9 years ago was fraudulently used to incorporate Ghana’s national cathedral in Washington, D.C.” he added.
North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwahas insisted that his campaign against the contentious National Cathedral project is not motivated by personal gain.
He said his quest is to protect the State’s scarce resources and not allow a few people to misuse same.
According to him, over $58 million has been taken from state coffers and invested into the project.
The former Deputy Education Ministersays his focus is to ensure state funds are used with appropriate approvals for the right projects for the Ghanaian people.
“Let me be clear that the emphasis will not be on cost or monetary gain. This has never been about the monetary gain and that is not money that is going to come to me.
“It is about justice. It is about accountability. Public funds are being expended without accounting to the people. Over $58 million has been taken out of our coffers without parliamentary approval. That is my concern,” he said in a JoyNews interview on Tuesday, May 2.
Early on in the day, the High Court dismissed a contempt case against Mr Ablakwa for refusing service of court processes because according to him, it was not a proper service.
According to the court, the evidence presented by the plaintiff, Victor Kusi Boateng is fraught with inconsistencies and doubt.
It added that the contempt application, therefore failed to meet the legal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
NDC’s General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey speaking shortly after the ruling said the case was an exercise in futility.
On the registration papers of the Ghana National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Eric Okyere Darko, a member of Kennedy Agyapong’s legal team and Member of Parliament for Assin Central, is listed as a trustee.
This was revealed by North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Abkakwa in his May 2 revelations on the registration processes of the project in the United States.
The MP stated in his social media post that per his checks, the registration details of the project in Ghana was different from what he got from that of the US.
Also, whiles eminent clergymen were dominant on the Board of Trustees in Ghana registration papers, in the case of the US, there were three persons.
The only common personality on both sides being Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, the Executive Secretary to the National Cathedral of Ghana project.
What Ablakwa said of the other two US governors
Mr. Eric Okyere Darko was appointed to the Board of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) by President Akufo-Addo and sworn in by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta on October 12, 2021 — a few months after he was listed as one of three governors of the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc.
Mr. Eric Okyere Darko was also one of Hon. Kennedy Agyapong’s lawyers in the recent case against Anas.
Dr. Vernon Darko on the other hand is said to be the founder and CEO of EQUIPXP® (EXP) and a small business exporter. It is not clear what his usefulness will be to a National Cathedral project.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu and anti-corruption crusader Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has been relentless in his pursuit to uncover all alleged corrupt activities surrounding the National Cathedral project in Ghana.
The latest bombshell is photos and details of one Mr Cary Lee Summers, who has reportedly received some US$6m from the government as the Consultant for the United States on Ghana’s National Cathedral project.
In a detailed Facebook post updating Ghanaians on his recent discovery about the project, Ablakwa outlined some questionable decisions and transactions involved in the acquisition of a certificate of incorporation for the NC in the United States of America.
During his investigations in the United States of America, Mr Ablakwa visited several venues and took pictures to support his exposé. In two of these pictures, a Caucasian male who appears to be in his fifties is seen lurking in the background.
Ablakwa described the man as Mr Cary Lee Summers in his Facebook post and said, “Mr Summers made it into my pictures while briskly entering his car,” suggesting that Mr Summers’ picture was not deliberately taken.
How did this come about?
Ablakwa disclosed in his report that he had visited Springfield, Missouri in pursuit of the truth about an address Mr Cary Lee Summers provided as his company, the Nehemiah Group’s address, which according to Ablakwa he also provides on official documents filed with US authorities.
According to Ablakwa, this decision stemmed from the information gathered that “on the ‘National’ Cathedral website, the website of Nehemiahgroup.io, and with official documents filed with US authorities, Cary Lee Summers provides this address ‘3119 S Scenic Ave, Suite A, Springfield, MO 65807,’ as the physical address of the Nehemiah Group.
Mr Cary Lee Summers (As seen on nationalcathedralghana.org) Mr Cary Lee Summers’s address as seen on nehemiahgroup.io:portfolioThe National Cathedral listed under the Portfolio page on nehemiahgroup.io:portfolio
Upon arrival, Ablakwa recounts that there was nothing at the location concerning Nehemiah Group. Instead, he and his team spotted “a ramshackle warehouse with the inscription: Churchill Coffee Company, Wholesale Division.” It was at this point Mr. Summers would show up.
The moment where Mr. Summers’ pictures were “taken” by Mr Ablakwa briefly followed after Mr Summers reportedly stepped out of a coffee wholesale division nearby and passed in the background of some pictures Mr Ablakwa was taking of himself at the location as evidence of his findings.
“While I was assessing the shacky warehouse which has portions used as a gym, Mr. Cary Lee Summers stepped out of his coffee wholesale division and made it into my pictures while briskly entering his car in very casual attire,” he wrote.
The alleged Mr. Summers had on a black T-shirt and what looked like American flag-branded bike shorts with grey sneakers. He also has tucked to his chest, what looked like other clothes and a coffee cup in his hand.
“How on earth did a Nehemiah Group address with its CEO keeping our colossal US$6 million under a bankrupt economy lead us to a warehouse?” he quizzed.
While some argue that the alleged pictures of Mr. Summers were inappropriately or unethically acquired, others assert that Mr. Ablakwa did not maliciously take those pictures as they just happened to be candid photos that have a passer-by that happens to be Mr. Summers.
This is part of the several revelations in Part 1 of Ablakwa’s latest “National” Cathedral exposé. Ablakwa’s dedication to uncovering alleged corrupt activities surrounding the National Cathedral project has gained him a reputation as an anti-corruption crusader.
“In this latest instalment of ‘National’ Cathedral transgressions, my international partners and I will be focusing attention on findings from our investigations into the Akufo-Addo government’s cathedral operations in the United States of America,” Ablakwa wrote.
Okudzeto Ablakwa has been vocal about his opposition to the National Cathedral project, which is a government-sponsored initiative to build a Christian worship centre in Accra.
He has made countless allegations of corruption and fraud against the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral and its secretary, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng. He claims that the project will cost the country about $1 billion, instead of the initial $100 million budget, and has promised to release more explosive documents.
Today, a court ruling on a contempt application filed by Rev. Kusi Boateng against him went in his favour.
In response, he wrote on Facebook, “It’s certainly great that an Accra High Court today dismissed Kwabena Adu Gyamfi & Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng’s contempt application which demanded that I be committed to prison with cost of GHS10,000 awarded against him. Now the distraction is off; expect more US explosives on Thursday. For God and Country. Ghana First.”
He says he will not be silenced by the legal threats and will continue to expose the truth about the National Cathedral.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu has made a new discovery regarding the National Cathedral.
The lawmaker, who has been an avid critic of the project alleging waste of public funds and corporate governance breaches against the project has revealed new details about the project after a trip to the United States.
In a Facebook post dated May 2, the MP revealed that he had applied for and received registration documents of the project from the relevant US authorities.
He observed that there were only three persons listed as board members, one of which is the Executive Secretary of the project Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah and two others, who until date were in no way connected publicly with the project.
Ablakwa wondered why no member of the Board of Trustees back home, some of who are eminent clergymen respected even in the United States were absent from the documentation.
He added that checks at the Washington DC address provided as offices of the project showed that they did not and had never prior operated from the said facility.
“Articles of Incorporation we have secured from the District of Columbia Government’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (corporation’s division) confirm that a nonprofit corporation has been registered known as the “National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc.” (Articles of Incorporation duly attached).
“This National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. received its Certificate of Incorporation with its effective date being May 3, 2021 and signed by Josef G. Gasimov, Superintendent of Corporations, Corporations Division. (See certificate attached).
“It is worthy of note that the name National Cathedral of Ghana and Museum Foundation, Inc. is unmistakably different from what was incorporated in Ghana some two years prior, specifically on the 18th of July, 2019 as the National Cathedral of Ghana.
“Curiously, we have also discovered that none of the prominent Ministers of the Gospel who serve as Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana feature in the articles of incorporation and list of governors as submitted to US authorities.
“The names of governors and authorized persons as contained in the Two-Year Report for Domestic & Foreign Filing Entity are: Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, Eric Okyere Darko and Dr. Vernon Darko. (See Report attached).
“In US corporate terms “governor” typically refers to a member of the board of directors,” Ablakwa’s post read in part.
What Ablakwa said about the US address:
Even more shocking, we have discovered that the address provided on both the “National” Cathedral of Ghana website and to US authorities as the official address of the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. is absolutely fraudulent.
The advertised address is: National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. 1090 Vermont AVE NW, Washington, DC 20005.
“A personal visit to this address in Washington, DC and thorough verification from managers of the property indicate that the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. has never been a tenant at that address.
“Indeed, none of the offices of the 12-floor apartment building has ever been occupied by the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. or any agency representing this entity. The managers of the property were furious and clear that what was going on was simply criminal.”
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has provided Ghanaians five pieces of staggering information about the national cathedral project just as promised on May 1, 2023.
The latest information comes on the back of a trip to the United States of America by the MP.
Mr Ablakwa in a write-up revealed that the project is registered in the US state of Washington DC under the name: “National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc.”
“Articles of Incorporation we have secured from the District of Columbia Government’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (corporation’s division) confirm that a nonprofit corporation has been registered known as the “National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc.”
This National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. received its Certificate of Incorporation with its effective date being May 3, 2021 and signed by Josef G. Gasimov, Superintendent of Corporations, Corporations Division.
According to him, the name National Cathedral of Ghana and Museum Foundation, Inc. is unmistakably different from what was incorporated in Ghana some two years prior, specifically on the 18th of July, 2019 as the National Cathedral of Ghana.
No member of clergy listed in US documents
He also claimed that even though there are three members listed as trustees in the US documentation, only one of them contained in counterpart registration papers of the National Cathedral of Ghana.
“Curiously, we have also discovered that none of the prominent Ministers of the Gospel who serve as Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana feature in the articles of incorporation and list of governors as submitted to US authorities.
The names of governors and authorized persons as contained in the Two-Year Report for Domestic & Foreign Filing Entity, he said, are: Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, Eric Okyere Darko and Dr. Vernon Darko.
“In US corporate terms “governor” typically refers to a member of the board of directors.
“We know Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah as the Executive Director of the “National” Cathedral Secretariat, however, it is unclear why government preferred Mr. Eric Okyere Darko and Dr. Vernon Darko over and above the prominent clergy serving on the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana,” he stated.
Address to US registration is fraudulent
“Even more shocking, we have discovered that the address provided on both the “National” Cathedral of Ghana website and to US authorities as the official address of the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. is absolutely fraudulent. The advertised address is: National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. 1090 Vermont AVE NW, Washington, DC 20005.
“A personal visit to this address in Washington, DC and thorough verification from managers of the property indicate that the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. has never been a tenant at that address.
“Indeed, none of the offices of the 12-floor apartment building has ever been occupied by the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc. or any agency representing this entity. The managers of the property were furious and clear that what was going on was simply criminal,” the post read in part.
Ablakwa ‘busts’ American consultant to project
We also decided to embark on the long travel to Springfield in Missouri where Mr. Cary Lee Summers who has been given US$6million of our money is described on the National Cathedral of Ghana website as “Consultant for the United States.”
On the “National” Cathedral website, the website of Nehemiahgroup.io and with official documents filed with US authorities, Cary Lee Summers provides this address for his Nehemiah Group: 3119 S Scenic Ave, Suite A, Springfield, MO 65807.
When we arrived at that address, there was nothing about the Nehemiah Group. We surprisingly saw quite a ramshackle warehouse with the inscription: Churchill Coffee Company, Wholesale Division.
While I was assessing the shacky warehouse which has portions used as a gym, Mr. Cary Lee Summers stepped out of his coffee wholesale division and made it into my pictures while briskly entering his car in very casual attire
Ablakwa reveals identity of two ‘unknown’ men in US incorporation documents
Checks conducted indicate that Mr. Eric Okyere Darko was appointed to the Board of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) by President Akufo-Addo and sworn in by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta on October 12, 2021 — a few months after he was listed as one of three governors of the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc.
Mr. Eric Okyere Darko was also one of Hon. Kennedy Agyapong’s lawyers in the recent case against Anas.
Dr. Vernon Darko on the other hand is said to be the founder and CEO of EQUIPXP® (EXP) and a small business exporter. It is not clear what his usefulness will be to a National Cathedral project.
The TUC General Secretary, Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah, has asked the government to stop wasting money on projects like the National Cathedral.
He made the request while speaking during the May Day celebration parade being held at Bolgatanga.
The TUC asserts that the government should redirect monies from discretionary spending to more productive endeavors in order to create jobs and revenue in order to alleviate the current economic depression.
He suggested that it would serve the country better if the national cathedral project was converted from a cathedral to a national hospital instead.
“We have to change the situation ourselves as Ghanaians. We believe strongly that government can lead us out of this crisis, and the government can do so by cutting expenditure on non-essentials including the need to stop spending our hard-earned revenue on a national cathedral.”
“The president has always said he wants to create another Notre Dame in Ghana so we can attract a lot of visitors but we disagree. In fact, comrades, it will be better to convert the project into a national hospital,” he said.
He further reiterated calls for the government to reduce its size to save costs.
“Mr. President you can also reduce the size of your government. Ghana has too many ministers and deputy ministers.”
Government spent ¢142 million on National Cathedral project in 2021 – Auditor-General’s report.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, claims that the National Cathedral project will cost over GH¢1 billion.
This year’s May Day celebration is on the theme; “Protecting incomes and pensions in an era of economic crisis: Our responsibility.”
What appears to be a text book for primary schools has left many Ghanaians on social media concerned.
The said book presented questions on the controversial national cathedral project which has been suspended due to lack of funds.
The set of questions with a number of possible answers sought to find out the location of the project, the individuals who stood against the project and the reason for such action.
For many, the set of questions (290 and 291) smacks insensitivity as it downplays and trivializes the reason their are opposed to the project.
Among those with such assertion is FixTheCountry convenor, Barker-Vormawor. In a Twitter post, he said “I am shocked that some Ghanaians are angry bcos the national cathedral debate has apparently found its way into a textbook of sorts. What they SHOULD be angry about is the poor framing of questions 290 & 291 & answer choices. Read carefully.”
I am shocked that some Ghanaians are angry bcos the national cathedral debate has apparently found its way into a textbook of sorts. What they SHOULD be angry about is the poor framing of questions 290 & 291 & answer choices. Read carefully. 😊 pic.twitter.com/Xr6rVyf4Vt
Other users say they are unable to fathom how propaganda politics found its way into the educational system.
They are demanding the identity of the author and want to know whether this book, whose title is yet to be made known to the published, has been authorised for use.
National Cathedral
The national cathedral project meant to thank God for how far he has brought Ghana has been shrouded in secrecy, according to reports.
MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has accused the government of embezzlement and misappropriation.
Aside from his revelations that have won anger towards the project, some Ghanaians say the construction of the project is untimely.
According to them, government cannot prioritise a cathedral over their standard of living and wellbeing, which they say has worsened due to government’s bad choices in the running of the economy.
But President Akufo-Addo has assured that the national cathedral project will be completed. This is because some Ghanaians think it is the right and best thing to do.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has assured Ghanaians that he will in a few days to come release fresh scandalous information on the National Cathedral project being undertaken by government.
Mr Ablakwa made the pledge after informing the public of his progress with Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice over some individuals dubious roles in the construction of the cathedral.
He noted that “CHRAJ has formally written to me indicating they are continuing with investigations into my Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng/Kwabena Adu Gyamfi conflict of interest petition.”
CHRAJ subsequently requested additional documentation of which he noted that was promptly and dutifully submitted on 9th of March, 2023.
In his update, the North Tongu MP also indicated that Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng/Kwabena Adu Gyamfi contempt case brought against him is expected to be finally determined next month.
According to him, the High Court has slated judgement for May 5, 2023.
Despite the yet-to be completed investigation by CHRAJ and the court case, Mr Ablakwa stated that “the Son of Man shall not be silenced!” adding that “Ghanaians should expect fresh series of ‘National’ Cathedral Scandals in a few days.”
Mr. Ablakwa has accused Rev. Kusi Boateng, who is also the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, of having double identity, alleging that the Reverend had multiple identity cards with different names.
He alleged that there was a transfer of GH¢2.6million from the National Cathedral Secretariat to JNS Talent Centre Limited, owned by Rev. Kusi-Boateng, under a secondary identity – Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
The Rev. Kusi Boateng in response, secured a restraining order against Mr Ablakwa barring him from making public any “disclosures of private documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the applicant” for ten days.
Several clergy have offered their personal opinions and suggestions on the best course of action that the government should take on the national cathedral debate as it continues to soar in the current economic climate.
Latest among them is a reverend minister of the Global Evangelical Church – Ghana, Rev. Calvin Klabi, who has indicated that, Ghana does not need a consensus to build the national cathedral.
Speaking on the HardTruth show on Ahomka FM and Ocean 1TV, Rev. Klabi reiterated that, from the time of Ghana’s first president Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah through Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings to H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, Ghana has never had a consensus in any of its projects; from the construction of the Tema motorway, to the building of the Akosombo Dam, the National Theater, Jubilee house, the University Medical Center and now to the National Cathedral.
He, however, advised that the country needs a national policy or agenda that will drive it for a long time and which will seek to direct the policies of the successive government.
Rev. Calvin Klabi encouraged government to give a listening ear to suggestions and comments from other stakeholders in ensuring that, the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian is championed at all times.
The Minority Chief Whip in Parliament, Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza has declared that the Minority will not support any increase in road tolls unless the funds generated are solely used for road-related expenses.
He explained that funds generated from road tolls cannot be diverted to finance other projects such as the National Cathedral. Mr. Agbodza made these remarks during an interview with Joy FM’s Top Story on Tuesday.
“In my view, unless we can prove that whatever we charge as road toll will entirely to be used on road-related expenditure, the Minority will not support this. Because we can’t pay money for building roads and somebody uses it for cathedral,” he said.
“Basically, in the 2023 Budget as you can see, the government is projecting that for instance, the road fund will generate GHC2.4 billion but if you go to the Appendix 3(c) –the expenditure section, you will see that they are only going to spend about 1 billion cedis on roads.
“In other words, we use the name of roads to collect money from the public and then we take the majority of that money and spend it elsewhere.”
He further stated that the Minority would oppose any amendment to the Capping and Realignment Act as long as it remains a factor in the road fund.
“The Minority will never support the amendment if the Capping and Realignment Act is still on the road fund,” he said.
Mr. Agbodza also highlighted the public’s disenchantment with the current road toll collection system, noting that the Capping and Realignment Act has made matters worse.
He pointed out that road users pay for the construction and maintenance of roads but receive little value in return.
While he is not against the reintroduction of road tolls, Mr. Agbodza stated that the consultation process must be more inclusive and may require a review of the Road Toll Act.
TheNational Cathedraland all related issues will be investigated by a committee, according to a private members’ proposal accepted by the Speaker of Parliament from the Minority caucus.
The Committee will also make appropriate recommendations for consideration of Parliament.
The National Cathedral project has been engulfed in several controversies and has also faced stiff opposition with a section of the public being of the view that the project is not relevant considering Ghana’s economic woes.
ButPresident Akufo-Addohas on numerous occasions stated that he will build the cathedral regardless of the opposition from the public.
The Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral in January this year also resolved to subject the project to a “normal statutory audit”.
This followed what the Board said are recent nagging issues that have enveloped the construction process.
It has engaged the services of an audit firm, Deloitte for the audit work to begin.
“The Board is already in discussions to engage Deloitte, which accepted to be the auditors when the National Cathedral was registered, to commence the normal statutory audit”, the Board through its Chairman, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah said in a statement.
The Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Rev. Kusi Boateng has also been fingered by Okudzeto Ablakwa for having multiple identities and receiving some 2.6 million cedis for no work done.
Two members of the Board of Trustees – Founder and Leader of Action Chapel International, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Rev. Eastwood Anaba, President of the Eastwood Anaba Ministries have called for an immediate suspension of the construction of the National Cathedral pending an audit of the project.
The secretary general of the Trade Union Congress, Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah, has backed Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) party member of parliament (MP) for theNorth TonguConstituency in the Volta Region, in his opposition to the National Cathedral’s construction.
It came to light at a forum dubbed ‘Ghana’s Day of Shame’ organised by the Socialist Movement of Ghana on February 24, 2023.
The event saw in attendance many stalwarts in Ghana’s politics including former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Paul Afoko, founding member of the NPP, Dr. Nyhaho Nyaho Tamakloe, former flagbearer of the Convention People’s Party, Dr Abu Sakara and some members of the diplomatic mission to Ghana, including Cuba’s Ambassador to Ghana, Algeria, China, Namibia and Russia all in attendance.
Addressing the gathering, TUC’s General Secretary reiterated his opposition to the construction of the National Cathedral and called on Mr Ablakwa to do all he can to convert the construction of the cathedral into a hospital if the NDC comes to power.
“We don’t need to use state resources to build a cathedral. What saddens my heart was that when TUC started the campaign against the construction of the cathedral nobody minded.
“We will back our brother here to change the plan of building a cathedral when in fact we don’t need a cathedral.
“We need hospitals and schools, we don’t need a cathedral,” he stated
Member of Parliament (MP) for Afigya Kwabre North, Collins Adomako-Mensah, has admonished the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, to tackle the allegations leveled against him by the North MP squarely.
Mr Adomako-Mensah who criticised Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, over his handling of allegations raised against him by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, asked the former to present hard facts disputing the reports.
Adomako-Mensah stated in a Good Morning Ghana interview on Wednesday, which GhanaWeb monitored, that the pastor has failed to provide any tangible explanation for allegations that he is operating a double identity.
According to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP, Rev. Kusi Boateng’s failure to defend his identity and his attempts to stop Ablakwa from releasing more documents make it look like the accusations against him are true, which is making the North Tongu MP popular.
“I think we are making Okudzeto extremely popular… one of the most easiest things to do in life is to defend the truth.
“Why is all this thing happening? Okudzeto starts something about the Cathedral, he zooms in on a particular person. He says you have two names, if you don’t have two names just say it. What is difficult about that? He says you have two TIN numbers; no, I don’t have one. What is difficult about that?
“The fact that you are not responding to him and giving contrary facts is what has brought us here. And what is happening now looks like you are trying to suppress the truth. Now, look at Okudzeto, he has become like some hero,” he said.
Meanwhile, a High Court in Accra has adjourned the contempt hearing against the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, sine die.
The court, on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, commenced the hearing of a contempt application filed against the MP by the secretary to the Board of Trustee of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, for his handling of a restraining order document issued by a court in Accra.
The MP was captured in a viral video throwing out a restraining order document from the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, who is also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
The High Court stated before adjourning the case that the Member of Parliament for North Tongue was not served with any contempt procedure as suggested.
According to the judge, Charles Gyamfi Danquah, documents procured by Ablakwa from social media cannot be accepted as a legal writ from the court.
“From the records before this court, the respondent has not been served with any contempt procedure, and the court has also not made any order for such a process. What learned counsel for the respondent procured either from social media or from learned counsel for the applicant cannot be taken as service of the contempt processes,” the sitting judge said.
Background
The latest corruption exposé on the National Cathedral by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, suggested impropriety on the part of the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.
On January 16, 2023, the MP made some allegations against Rev. Kusi Boateng, who is the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana.
In an earlier revelation about the National Cathedral, Okudzeto Ablakwa said a whopping GH¢2.6 million was dished out to a company named JNS Talent Centre Limited.
Further investigations into the alleged payment led to the discovery of one Kwabena Adu Gyamfi as a director of JNS Talent Centre.
Having confirmed the identities of two out of three directors of the centre, Ablakwa dug deeper in a bid to discover the identity of the third director, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
According to his findings, citing a number of statutory documents, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi was the same as Reverend Kusi Boateng, who has allegedly been operating under the pseudonym Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has told an Accra High Court that he was recently served court papers by a fake bailiff.
The papers in question were a restraining order and a defamation suit by Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, alias Victor Kusi Boateng, secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral.
Ablakwa’s allegations were contained in an 85-page document opposing a contempt suit Adu Gyamfi brought against the lawmaker for rejecting service of the two suits and disrespecting the court by kicking the documents.
In Ablakwa’s filings for the case, his lawyers, Sory @ Law, attached an exhibit that contained an Application for Search Report seeking information on the bailiff who served Ablakwa the papers earlier this month.
The court registry confirmed that Adu Gyamfi had indeed instituted the two applications served on Ablakwa on 1st and 3rd of February.
It gave the name of the bailiff who served the application on Ablakwa as Ellis Armah but answered “NO” to a question about whether Ellis was a bailiff of the Judicial Service.
There was no further explanation as to why a bailiff outside of the Judicial Service had been given papers to serve on the respondent.
Ablakwa’s lawyers also referred to a recent order by the Chief Justice asking that only certified bailiffs be dispatched to work on service of applications.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who is a subject to an odd court order, and faces the threat of going to prison has bemoaned the fact that he is now the target of state-sponsored harassment for nothing more than performing his oversight duties as a member of parliament.
He noted that a country where Parliamentarians become victims for performing their oversight work is doomed to be in a dark abyss
Mr. Ablakwa, who has been key in exposing alleged corruption in the construction of the National Cathedral and serializing exposés of alleged corruption, fraud, double identity, self-dealing, and conflict of interest involving the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral Secretariat, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, has said that there are currently “fascist machinations to use the judiciary and other state institutions to silence and intimidate me.”
He thanked his party for the support so far as he exposes alleged wrongdoing regarding the controversial construction of the National Cathedral.
“I am eternally indebted to the good people of Ghana, my dearest family, former President H.E. John Mahama, the NDC executive led by Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the NDC Council of Elders chaired by Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, my beloved North Tongu constituents, the rank and file of NDC comrades across the country, Civil Society Organisations, activists, genuine pastors, the credible media, my dedicated staff, gallant and dependable colleagues in the NDC Caucus in Parliament led by Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson.
“A country where parliamentarians carrying out their constitutional oversight mandate become victims of state-sponsored harassment, strange court injunctions, and judicial threats of imprisonment even as double-identity charlatans are protected and pampered is definitely a nation in the dark abyss,” he asserted.
He stressed that he is unafraid and will continue to execute his mandate as an MP.
“Let the cowardly forces of tyranny be told that I am not one to be frightened with imprisonment.
“I am ever ready to be a political prisoner of conscience than be coerced and compromised into a behind-the-scenes deal with the corrosive enemies of the Republic,” he stated.
Mr. Ablakwa has been injuncted by the court from revealing further information about Rev. Kusi Boateng. It is also alleged that national security operatives have been trailing him.
Secretary to the Board of the National Cathedral, Rev. Kusi Boateng, has been called out by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for attempting to have him imprisoned.
Mr Ablakwa said he is not a coward and thus cannot be intimidated by “forces of tyranny” from exercising his parliamentary oversight duties.
According to him, if these persons are so mindful of finding victims for their intimidation ploys, then they should look elsewhere and not his backyard.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, February 9, the former deputy Education Minister and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said he is prepared to be a “political prisoner of conscience.”
“A country where parliamentarians carrying out their constitutional oversight mandate become victims of state-sponsored harassment, strange court injunctions and judicial threats of imprisonment even as double identity charlatans are protected and pampered is definitely a nation in the dark abyss.
“Let the cowardly forces of tyranny be told that I am not one to be frightened with imprisonment.
“I am ever ready to be a political prisoner of conscience than to be coerced and compromised into a behind-the-scenes deal with the corrosive enemies of the Republic,” he posted.
Mr Ablakwa thus thanked the ranking and file of the National Democratic Congress for the enormous support given to him to do his parliamentary work.
“I wish to express heartfelt appreciation and profound gratitude for the overwhelming solidarity and words of encouragement I have received since the series of cathedral exposés in the pursuit of my constitutional mandate of oversight, and in the face of the current fascist machinations to use the judiciary and other state institutions to silence and intimidate me.
“I am eternally indebted to the good people of Ghana, my dearest family, former President H.E. John Mahama, the NDC executive led by Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the NDC Council of Elders chaired by Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, my beloved North Tongu constituents, the rank and file of NDC comrades across the country, Civil Society Organisations, activists, genuine pastors, the media, my dedicated staff, gallant and dependable colleagues of the NDC Caucus in Parliament led by Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson.”
Already, the Minority in Parliament has warned that they will strongly oppose any attempts by “undemocratic elements” to use the Judiciary to prevent them from carrying out their mandate.
Any such attempt will be opposed fiercely, they said, insisting their duties enshrined in the Constitution will be performed to the letter.
In a press release issued by the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson on Wednesday, February 8, the NDC MPs said this will be non-negotiable.
Background
Rev Kusi Boateng, also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, in a contempt summons on Tuesday, February 7, said: “I am informed by my Counsel and verily believe same to be true that this Honourable Court has the power to commit the Respondent to prison for his conduct to protect the whole administration of justice and serve as a deterrent to other persons.”
The process follows claims that the MP kicked a writ being served on him by a court bailiff on Friday, February 3.
MP for North Tongu, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, has made more revelations about Government’s payments to Sir David Adjaye.
He says Government paid additional US$5.8million to lead consultant of the National Cathedral of Ghana project, Sir David Adjaye, in 2021.
The amount according to North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, was extra payment for what he called design variations to the existing architectural design Adjaye had originally done.
Adjaye Associates & Design Team were directly paid an amount of GH¢113.040.54.67 million according to records presented to Parliament in 2022 by the secretariat of the National Cathedral.
On the specific works that led to the over US$5.8 million payment, Ablakwa wrote in a Facebook post dated February 7, 2023:
“Newly secured cathedral documents reveal that just for a minor design variation of including a 300+ seater restaurant and expansion of an already paid for Bible museum, government paid David Adjaye an additional outrageous and extortionate US$5.8million (specifically US$5,817,769.65; amounting to a staggering GHS33,539,442.03 in 2021).”
It is not known whether this figure was contained in the original expenditure document presented to Parliament or it is from a different source.
Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta told Parliament in Decembebr 2022 that a total amount of GHC339 million had been spent on the project from public funds – specifically the Contingency Fund.
Read Ablakwa’s full post on the alleged payment:
How David Adjaye billed Ghana a colossal US$5.8million (GHS33.5million in 2021) for a Minor Cathedral Design Variation
The heartbreaking images of Ghana’s pensioners and vulnerable senior citizens picketing at the Finance Ministry when they should be enjoying a well-deserved restful and happy retirement with their grandchildren is undoubtedly the result of reckless mismanagement and cruel dissipation of the nation’s resources by this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/Ofori-Atta inept government.
Newly secured cathedral documents reveal that just for a minor design variation of including a 300+ seater restaurant and expansion of an already paid for Bible museum, government paid David Adjaye an additional outrageous and extortionate US$5.8million (specifically US$5,817,769.65; amounting to a staggering GHS33,539,442.03 in 2021).
This latest information confirms that so far, the Ghanaian taxpayer has coughed up an exorbitant US$25,444,192.42 (GHS152.6million) solely for Adjaye’s cathedral architectural designs.
Put in context, this GHS152.6million is more than the entire 2023 compensation (salaries and wages) budgetary allocation for the Ministries of Food and Agriculture; Trade and Industry; Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts; Energy; Information; Roads and Highways; Works and Housing; Communications and Digitalisation; Youth and Sports; Railways Development, and a host of others.
GHS152.6million can also complete more than 80% of the abandoned Saglemi affordable housing units. It could equally have completed the targeted 200 E-Block community senior high schools project.
Ghana’s current economic tribulations are undoubtedly self-inflicted—definitely created by this heartless NPP administration.
Our prayers and solidarity are with all pensioners—government ought to listen and immediately exempt them from its dreadful DDEP!
Like most Ghanaians, I can’t wait for Parliament’s parliamentary probe into this scandal-plagued “National” Cathedral project.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has intimated that he is not against the work of God.
He insists the work he is doing by way of pushing for accountability and transparency in the construction of the National Cathedral is not an agenda against the church.
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, in a Citi TV interview (December 2022), emphasised the importance of religion (Christianity) on his past and present.
Ablakwa has over the last few months published instances of corporate governance and alleged financial infractions on the part of government and trustees in the building of the Cathedral.
The dogged nature of his advocacy has led people in some quarters to question his real motives, but he insists: “This is not an agenda against the church, I am not seeking to bring down a religion that I will be nobody without.
“I have said time without number that where would I be without Christianity? Belief in the saving power, the salvation grace of Jesus, the Christ,” he stressed.
He recounted how former Speaker of Parliament, Prof Oquaye, had mentored him through his Sunday school days as well as his role in religious groupings during his Senior High School days.
“I am not a pagan, I am not anti-Christ or whatever they say,” he added.
The Member of Parliament has since January 2023 disclosed statutory documentation purporting to prove that Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, is operating under the pseudonym Kwabena Adu Gyamfi for criminal purposes.
The MP has so far released a number of passports, drivers’ license, Tax Identification Number data and details of company registration that Kusi Boateng (Adu Gyamfi) has used in the past and some he continues to use.
In the latest installment of his posts, Ablakwa said a statement by the NIA on the Ghana Card status of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi confirmed that in their records, Victor Kusi Boateng did not exist, a claim he made last week.
He has justified his publications of Kusi Boateng’s documents with the view that the clergyman was using two names because he was engaging in criminal activities with one of the identities (i.e. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.)
Ablakwa has stood by an accusation that the pastor’s company (JNS Talent Center) was paid an unmerited sum from the National Cathedral kitty, even though the secretariat has explained that the GHC2.6 million paid to Rev Kusi Boateng was a loan repayment.
According to Ablakwa, the Board of Trustees never discussed acquiring a loan facility, and at the time the loan was acquired, the Cathedral had about $6 million in its bank accounts.
For a project that has courted controversy and sharply divided public opinion, work has stopped mostly due to a lack of funding.
The use of government funding in spite of an earlier government pledge that it would be financed by contributions from the Christian brotherhood has been one of the project’s key problems.
The last time government spoke to the cost so far was in December 2022 when Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta told a censure committee of Parliament that a total of GHC399 million of tax payer funds has gone into the project.
He defended the source of funding explaining how withdrawals from the Contingency Fund for seed money payments were above board.
“The most expensive ‘hole’ ever dug anywhere in the world. It cost Ghana a whopping GHC 399 million to dig this hole only- for a cathedral that no one knows how much it will finally cost us,” he tweeted on Saturday, February 4.
His tweet was accompanied by a drone shot of the construction site.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has over the last few months published instances of corporate governance and alleged financial infractions on the part of government and trustees in the building of the Cathedral.
The Member of Parliament has since January 2023 disclosed statutory documentation purporting to prove that Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, is operating under the pseudonym Kwabena Adu Gyamfi for criminal purposes.
The MP has so far released a number of passports, drivers’ license, Tax Identification Number data and details of company registration that Kusi Boateng (Adu Gyamfi) has used in the past and some he continues to use.
In the latest installment of his posts, Ablakwa said a statement by the NIA on the Ghana Card status of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi confirmed that in their records, Victor Kusi Boateng did not exist, a claim he made last week.
He has justified his publications of Kusi Boateng’s documents with the view that the clergyman was using two names because he was engaging in criminal activities with one of the identities (i.e. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.)
Ablakwa has stood by an accusation that the pastor’s company (JNS Talent Center) was paid an unmerited sum from the National Cathedral kitty, even though the secretariat has explained that the GHC2.6 million paid to Rev Kusi Boateng was a loan repayment.
According to Ablakwa, the Board of Trustees never discussed acquiring a loan facility, and at the time the loan was acquired, the Cathedral had about $6 million in its bank accounts.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region has stated that the truth concerning his “Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal” expose’ concerning the National Cathedral and its governing board would not be buried and that justice would be meted out to all found culpable.
Reacting to a restraining order secured by Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng to prevent him from publishing new content on the findings of his investigation, Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that he has been advised by his lawyers on what to do, however, he is assuring all that truth and justice with regards to the scandal would not be buried.
“ One Kwabena Adu Gyamfi also claiming to have an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng has secured a 10-day restraining order seeking to stop me from further publications on the Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal. My lawyers duly instructed. Truth & Justice shall not be buried,” parts of his tweet read.
The 10-day restraining order secured by the founder and Head Pastor of Power Chapel Worldwide International, Rev. Kusi Boateng otherwise known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, against Ablakwa prevents him from making public any “disclosures of private documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the applicant” for the next ten days.
This comes after a video showing the lawmaker kicking documents served him by a bailiff emerged online.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was forced to kick out the document after the bailiff tried to force the document into his car on the compound of Metro TV after the Good Morning Ghana show.
Mr. Ablakwa has in the last few weeks mounted a spirited campaign against Rev. Kusi Boateng whom he accused of having a double identity.
Since the announcement of the national cathedral by President Akufo-Addo, it has been in the headlines for one controversy or another with many in support or condemnation of the building.
But gospel musician Diana Hamilton who has yet to make any comment says she will not talk about the project.
The ‘Mo Ne Yo’ hitmaker said that she has purposely stayed away from discussing the issues and controversies surrounding the National Cathedral.
In a discussion on Adom FM’s Work and Happiness show, she stated that she is always cautious not to address any issue she has very little knowledge about.
Stating that she does not involve herself in political issues, “this is a very dicey topic for me.”
“With things that I don’t know much about, I am careful not to talk about them. With governance, I do not do well with politics, I struggle to comment on issues that I don’t know the facts about,” she said.
But “it is a topic I would like to hold on to for now…before I make any comment, I would like to get my facts right,”
Also, all others who have made comments on the building of the cathedral may be privy to some information based on which they make their judgments.
Akwasi Addae Odike, the founder and leader of the United Front Party(UFP), has chastised the National Cathedral Board of Trustees for what he alleges is their willingness to let President Akufo-Addo to dupe them into backing a dubious project.
He contends that the project is a personal commitment made by the president and shouldn’t be a burden on the state, and as a result, if the board ever had integrity and conscience, they should have resigned when the president began taking money from the state coffers to fund the project.
In an interview with Happy FM, the politician cum businessman asserted that the accusations levelled against some board of trustees by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency demonstrates the level of corruption and dishonesty they have engaged in, necessitating their resignation.
“The whole process was formulated on the premises of fraud. Nobody knows Jesus Christ, it is just a religion that we came to meet and worship. “Akufo Addo said he has a personal pledge with God. He told the entire nation that it was his private project to reward God. “He then formed a board of trustees who also came to tell us that the projects won’t be funded by the state. Then Akufo Addo came again and said that the building will now cost $350 million so, unless Ghanaians come and support it, now he has turned the whole cathedral into a state property.
“That was the day that all the board of trustees should have resigned if they had conscience and integrity…because same as Akufo-Addo said some time ago that, ‘I have been misled’. “So, should they? They should’ve also said that they have been misled…because they took the position because Akufo-Addo said it was his personal project, but if it’s now national, we don’t know what to tell Ghanaians so we’re sorry… the pastors that are leading in discussions with the construction of the National Cathedral have failed us. Akufo-Addo has lied and they’ve also pledged to support the lies,” he said.
Meanwhile, The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has accused Reverend Kusi Boateng, secretary and board of trustee member of engaging in a conflict of interest situation and also using double identities.
He revealed in a Facebook post that a whooping GH¢2.6million was transferred from the National Cathedral Secretariat to JNS Talent Centre Limited, a company owned by Rev. Kusi Boateng under his second name, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
He also alleged that the religious leader has been issued with a diplomatic passport which he finds very disturbing.
“I will want the Foreign Affairs Ministry to justify why Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng qualified for a diplomatic passport to begin with. Otherwise, everybody will be eligible to hold a diplomatic passport in this country,” he said in an interview on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ programme..
“On 25th November 2021 the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration granted Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng a diplomatic passport. The diplomatic passport which expires on 24th November 2026 rather carries the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi and not Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng”.
Former Ghana Ambassador to India, Sam Pee Yalley has questioned the rationale behind President Nana Akufo-Addo’s obsession with building a National Cathedral at a time of economic austerity.
Speaking on Dwaboase on TV XYZ, the National President of the NDC Professionals Forum (PRO-FORUM) wondered which benefit the citizens stand to gain from the construction of a facility which President Akufo-Addo has said is a fulfillment of a promise he personally made to God before becoming the country’s leader.
In his estimation, the project is not a priority at a time economic hardship is being battled by almost every house hold with the government relying on the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) support to balance the country’s finances.
“President Akufo-Addo is a bad leader; He is a bad driver who has led the country to a low level…And with all these economic challenges, he is focused on building a cathedral,” he lamented.
Sam Pee Yalley, a veteran legal practitioner chastised the managers of the economy and admonished the president to focus on tackling the economic mess his cousin, Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister for Finance, has created in the country.
“In this present age when Nigeria is implementing agricultural policies to feed its people; Rwanda is developing science…Ghana under this president we are going back to Biblical times, some 2,000 years back to look for Bible quotations when others are going to the scientific world,” Pee Yalley criticised.
To him, Akufo-Addo and his cohorts are stealing from Ghanaians in the name of the project.
“Why go into a contingency vault to build a cathedral?” he quizzed.
About 339 million cedis has been withdrawn from the country’s Consolidated Fund to finance the cathedral which has over the months irked most Ghanaians due to the opaque nature of the project’s funding.
Controversies
Apart from questions of accountability which have been repeatedly raised by the Minority in Parliament, there have also been concerns about the relevance of the project as the country cannot sustain its debts coupled with high inflation.
The questions led to two eminent clergymen and members of the Board of Trustees of the controversial National Cathedral project calling for its immediate suspension.
The two – Archbishop Duncan Williams and Reverend Eastwood Anaba asked for a financial audit to be undertaken before the project could continue.
Earlier in 2022, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, the founder and leader of the Lighthouse Chapel International resigned secretly from the Board of Trustees of the project.
In the letter sighted by Citi News, Bishop Heward-Mills expressed disappointment at the leadership of the National Cathedral for ignoring concerns he raised in several letters he wrote to them with the recent one being in June 2022 through the Ghana Charismatic Bishops’ Conference.
Part of it reads, “I feel that the treatment of the issues I have raised in my several letters has been unfortunate. My letters have been ignored in the past; not attended to for years, and at best addressed flippantly.”
“You may recall I have spoken passionately and written extensively about the costs, the design, the location, the fundraising, the mobilization of the churches, and the role of the trustees. These, if heeded, would have made our project more achievable. Generally speaking, my inputs, my opinions, and my letters have been trivialized and set aside.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu has disputed the National Cathedral Secretariat’s explanation that they took a loan from secretary to the Board of Trustees, Reverend Kusi Boateng.
The GH¢2.6 million loaned amount has been contested by the MP who insists it was an irregular payment for no work done.
Ablakwa revealed on the January 27, 2023 edition of the Good Morning Ghana programme that it turns out that JNS Talent Center, a company Kusi Member is connected to, had received monies from COVID-19 funds, out of which they allegedly loaned a portion to the cathedral.
“This claim that he did us a favour and he gave the Cathedral Secretariat a loan …even though the Cathedral bank statement I have secured, at the time they said they were in distress and needed GH¢2.6 million desperately, they had GHC6 million sitting in their account.
“The bank statement of the National Cathedral at ADB, they had six million sitting in that account, so that story doesn’t add up,” he stressed.
He continued: “We now know that they (Kusi Boateng and JNS Talent Center) did their country no favour. It was our own money GH¢3.5 million COVID cash which he received for supplying tissue paper.”
He also tasked the Auditor-General to review their current report on COVID funds and capture the said transaction because there were doubts as to whether the tissue paper supplies were even honoured.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the representative for North Tongu, has described how he discovered the alleged dual identity of Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, secretary to the board of trustees of the National Cathedral.
According to him, he was intrigued when he saw Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng being the same as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi after securing a copy of the National Cathedral Secretariat’s Incorporation documents.
He explained that he started digging into the double identity of Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng when he sighted in the incorporation documents that he was one of the contractors for the project, with registration name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, as alleged by Mr. Ablakwa during his investigative piece unearthed that JNS Talent, which was paid GH₵2.6 million belongs to the appointed Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Victor Kusi Boateng.
JNS Talent Centre Ltd which allegedly runs a crèche in Dawhenya was paid some GH¢2.6 million to help build the cathedral.
Speaking on Face to Face on Citi TV with Umaru Sanda Amadu, the vociferous legislator explained, “I obtained a copy of the National Cathedral Secretariat Incorporations documents, I realised that JNS Talent Centre Ltd paid GH¢2.6 million as contractor mobilisation. We know of only one contractor, but I realised that JNS Talent was one of the contractors. You go through the entire documentation and there’s no contract, no agreements, no supporting documents at all for this payment, you get suspicious.”
“I discovered that JNS has three directors, Yohannes Eshun, Sheila Eshun and one Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. What services are they rendering under the National Cathedral project? I discovered that it was a skill and talent development, what are they doing here on this project? They are not contractors, engineers, or architects, very strange. I went deeper and realised that the only thing they have done is to set up a crèche at Dawhyena with few innocent souls,” he narrated.
He noted that he called the wife of Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, Sheila Eshun who admitted the company received the money but the husband who had travelled has more details on the payment.
“The document I intercepted, there was a number, so I called his wife, and she told me his husband who has the facts has travelled and will return back in two weeks, but the call never came. I sent my team to the church to verify if I was being told the truth. And there he was preaching, they had service with Johannes Eshun. The claim that he was out of the country was a lie,” he stated.
According to him, there was no footprint of Kwabena Adu Gyamfi who was cited as the third director.
The North Tongu legislator further said that the Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees’ expired driver’s license also bears the name Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng which was used to incorporate him into the Secretariat Board of Trustees.
“The third director was elusive, there was no digital footprint, no evidence, so I was like who is this guy [Kwabena Adu Gyamfi], he was so elusive. I said let me dig deeper as to how he was able to register his company and all that. What idea did this guy use? Lo and behold, I saw Rev. Kusi Boateng’s passport picture that was used for registration, and the name is Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. And I said what’s going on here? I thought it was a second conflict of interest, for money being paid to a junior pastor for no work done.”
