Kan-Dapaah cited for conflict of interest

Mr David Tetteh Assumeng, Member of Parliament for Shai Osudoku said the Public Account Committee’s (PAC) Report on the Auditor General’s report should be put on hold, citing the Chairman for conflict of interest.

He said Mr Albert–Kan Dapaah, New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member for Afigya Sekyere West was superintending over reports of the party’s administration.

Mr Assumeng was contributing to the adoption of the PAC’s Report of the Auditor – General on the Public Accounts of Ghana (Consolidated Fund) for the year ending December 31, 2008.

Mr Ambrose Dery Deputy Minority Leader in reaction said until the Parliamentary Standing Orders had been amended the activities of the committee could not be suspended.

He said Mr Assmeng’s call was too late and could only be tenable when the standing orders had been changed.

Professor Boafo Gyan called on Mr Assumeng to withdraw his statement because whatever the committee did was under the regulations of Parliament.

Mr Cletus Avoka, Majority Leader said the matter the member raised was an important one, and asked parliament to adopt some conventions to deal it, because the Standing Orders should not capture every thing that parliament did.

He said Mr Kan-Dapaah was a former minister during the NPP regime and suggested that parliament must agree on the convention that ministers who held certain ministerial portfolios should not be allowed to chair certain committees.

Mr Kan-Dapaah said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had the opportunity to check any wrong doing of the committee since they have majority of members as members.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu Minority Leader said during the NPP regime the PAC was chaired by Mr Alban Bagbin who superintended the Auditor- General’s Report of the NDC administration.

He endorsed the view that the Standing Orders should be reviewed.

The Speaker Mrs Joyce Bamford – Addo ruled that debates for the adoption continued while the Standing Orders was re-examined.

Source: GNA