The minority in Parliament has called for the immediate resignation of Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dr. Dominic Ayine over the withdrawal of GH¢350 million from the Contingency Fund.
The Ministry of Finance released the funds last week to support emergency relief operations and flood mitigation measures following the floods that recently affected parts of the country.
The money was subsequently transferred into a dedicated National Disaster Management Committee account to finance the government’s National Emergency Flood Response Program.
However, the minority caucus says the disbursement violated certain provisions of the country’s public financial management laws, insisting the Contingency Fund was under attachment at the time the funds were released.
The group has accused the Attorney General of ignoring the ongoing garnishee proceedings involving the Contingency Fund and failing to take legal steps to have the order set aside before the disbursement.
Speaking to the media, Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei described the Attorney General’s directive for the disbursement as unlawful, arguing that his inability to secure the lawful release of the funds smacks of incompetence.
“Any competent Attorney-General could have secured the lawful release of these funds within twenty-four hours by moving the court, disclosing the urgency, and letting the judicial process work as it was designed to. The flood victims of this country deserved that Attorney-General. They did not get him,” the Deputy Minority Leader stated.
The caucus says the minister must resign and has subsequently called on the President to dismiss Dr. Ayine if he refuses to step down.
“The Minority Caucus accordingly calls on the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to resign forthwith. Should he fail to do the honourable thing, we call on the President, who swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend this Constitution to relieve him of office without delay,” she added.
The Caucus also demanded evidence from the government to support its claim that the GH¢350 million withdrawn from the Contingency Fund was used to support victims of the recent floods.
