Deputy National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Malik Basintale, has challenged the overseer of the National Cathedral Project, Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, to take legal action against him if payslips showing GHC21,000 monthly salaries for project officials are false
Malik Basintale has provided evidence to support his claims that Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah is being paid GHC21,000 every month despite a halt in construction works.
The different payslips he shared are dated February, June and November 2022 and May 2024.
Mr Basintale earlier made the allegation during an interview on TV3’s New Day show. He said in 2022 during the suspension of the project, Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah and some board of trustees stated that they were not being paid for their work done. He shared the payslip he retrieved from the bank the overseer allegedly works with.
The National Cathedral project was suspended in 2022. Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah who brought this to light revealed that his outfit is really cash-strapped and needs support.
“We have the contractors and their staff on site, but the work has been suspended. We are hoping that within the next couple of weeks, as part of our fundraising and other initiatives, we can begin work again,” he revealed.
A year later, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, gave a different submission. “There have been issues that the project has been suspended, but it hasn’t. Construction has stalled, but the National Cathedral is almost an institution; it’s going to be one of the largest institutions, so the work continues on a daily basis. In addition to funding, we are already engaging with those who can provide us with artifacts. Because if you want to turn it into a world-class site, you need historical artifacts,” he said.
The construction of the cathedral has sparked debates across various sectors of society, focusing on the necessity and timing of such a large-scale structure, as well as concerns regarding the transparency and management of allocated funds.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has accused the government of underreporting the amount of money spent on the national cathedral project.
The Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Abena Osei Asare, confirmed in Parliament on Wednesday, July 3, that the government has spent more than GH¢339 million on the National Cathedral project, which has been stalled for some time.