Former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, though absent from Parliament, became the centre of controversy on Tuesday as his name triggered heated exchanges during the fourth day of the 2025 budget debate.
The disturbances began when Minister for Local Government and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, reminded Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin of what he described as a prior assurance that Ofori-Atta would present himself to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The OSP had earlier declared the former minister a fugitive after he reportedly failed to appear before investigators, citing medical treatment abroad.
According to Ahmed Ibrahim, the Minority Leader had informed Parliament after engaging with Ofori-Atta’s lawyers and the Special Prosecutorthat the former Finance Minister would return to cooperate with ongoing investigations once he recovered.
But Afenyo-Markin sharply rejected that claim, insisting that he never promised Parliament he would “produce” Ken Ofori-Atta before the OSP.
The Minority Leader stressed that his earlier update to the House merely reflected information available at the time, not a personal undertaking.
The Majority side, however, disagreed.
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga insisted that such an assurance had indeed been communicated, prompting murmurs across the chamber.
The exchanges escalated further when the Effutu MP admonished National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs to avoid politicizing Ofori-Atta’s health challenges, noting that illness is an unpredictable fate that could befall any public official.
Despite the tense back-and-forth, proceedings eventually stabilised, allowing the budget debate to continue.
Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku, Defence and Interior Committee Chairman James Agalga, and Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister Yussif Sulemana all took their turn on the floor, praising the 2025 budget as the blueprint to address Ghana’s economic and structural challenges.
On the Minority side, Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, Gushegu MP Hassan Tampuli, and Manhyia North MP Akwasi Konadu sharply criticized the budget presented by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, describing it as inadequate, unrealistic, and disconnected from the hardships facing ordinary Ghanaians.
The debate is expected to continue as both sides intensify efforts to shape public opinion on the government’s fiscal direction for the coming year.
Source :www.kumasimail.com
