The Executive Director of the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), Mensah Thompson, has given the supposed reason behind President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s failure to retain Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, as the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, during his second team.
According to him, Prof Frimpong-Boateng was hated by leading figures in the Akufo-Addo government because he allegedly refused to pay a fraudulent judgement debt to a company represented by leading figures in the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Speaking in an XYZ TV interview, Mensah Thompson said that Prof Frimpong-Boateng refused to give the authorisation for the said company to be paid over $88 million in judgement debt even though the president and his finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta were on his neck.
“The said project was supposed to be done under the NDC government but it was not done. After the change in government, members of this government decided to connive with the company to come for a judgement debt to the turn of $88 million.
“The project was under Frimpong Boateng’s ministry and they needed his validation but he told the president that he is not in the position to validate the transaction because of the infractions sighted by the auditor general on the project and it not being in the handing over notes from his predecessors,” he said in Twi.
Mensah Thompson again alleged that the government wanted to use the said company to steal money from the people of Ghana but Prof Frimpong Boateng stopped it and that is why he is so disliked by the government contrary to assertions that he (Frimpong Boateng) harbours some bitterness towards the government because he was not retained as minister.
“The company did not go to court. They (the government) went to sit with the company and told them to bring the letter for the judgment debt.
“They sat down to plan to rob the nation of $88 million dollars but Frimpong Boateng refused to validate it. This was the nail in the coffin of Prof Frimpong Boateng. This is the same thing they did to Martin Amidu… Those saying that Frimpong Boateng is bitter, don’t know the facts, it is President Akufo-Addo and his government who are bitter about Frimpong Boateng,” he added.