Ablakwa vows to release videos of Oslo property

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) North Tongu and Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has vowed to expose the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the purchase of a property in Oslo, Norway, for the Ghana Mission.

Mr Ablakwa who was engaged in heated debate with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey on Monday over the deal said he has video evidence and would soon release them.

His threats come after the minister was engaged in heated exchanges with the Minority in parliament Monday over the price of the facility.

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Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said the current owner of six-bedroom property being converted into a chancery for Ghana’s new mission in Norway, bought it at $3.6 million in 2017, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was procuring the property at $12 million.

Mr Ablakwa, who was contributing to the debate on the approval of budget estimates for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the latest purchase price by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration appeared to inflate the cost of the property by a whopping $8,620,379.

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Though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said it is yet to purchase the new Ghana mission building in Oslo, Norway,Mr  Ablakwa accused the Foreign Affairs Minister of overseeing the purchase of a property which does not provide value for money.

“Investigations that we have conducted reveals that the $16.5 million that the Foreign Affairs Ministry has been presented with as the budget for the new mission in Oslo, the chancery and the ambassador’s resident is outrageously high” he said.

Mr. Ablakwa said he had shown documents pertaining to his allegations to the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament; chancery and hence, his allegations are valid.

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“In the coming days we will expose this transaction and make sure that we walk out of it. I have no personal score with the minister. I only want to set the records straight” he noted.