Barton-Odro sits on judgment debt committee

Member of Parliament for Cape Coast North, Mr. Ebo Barton-Odro, who is at the centre of the judgment debt controversy for his role as Deputy Attorney-General in the state losing huge monies to the likes of Alfred Agbesi Woyome, Waterville Holding Limited and many others, in dubious judgment debt awards, has been appointed by Parliament to sit on a committee to make recommendations to the House on how to avoid or minimize these debts.

The 15-member Ad-hoc committee is charged with making recommendations to the House on the modifications contemplated under Article 181 (5) of the Constitution for implementation to streamline international contracts and thus avoid or minimize the need to pay judgment debts by the state.

The modification seeks to ensure that Article 181 (5) which states that: “this article shall, with the necessary modification by Parliament, apply to an international business or economic transaction, to which the government is a party as it applies to a loan,” is complied with at all times.

This means all contracts, be it international or local, carried out by the government have to come to Parliament for approval before commencement. The lawmakers are, however, worried that both present and past governments have at a point in time failed to respect this constitutional mandate.

The fifteen-member committee, which was approved by the House, is composed of eight members from the Majority side of the House, while the Minority has a seven-member representation.

The committee would be chaired by the Majority Leader, Hon. Benjamin Kunbuor, with the Minority Leader, Hon. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu serving as his Vice.

Other members of the committee include Barton Odro, Joe Ghartey, Cletus Avoka, Papa Owusu Ankomah, James Klutse Avedzi and Dr. Akoto Anthony Osei.

The rest are Alban Bagbin, Alfred Kwame Agbesi, William Ofori Boafo, Della Sowah, Sarah Adwoa Safo, Joseph Osei-Owusu and Charles Obeng–Inkoom.

The committee has a thirty-day period to submit its report to the House for consideration and adoption.

Commenting on the matter, the MP for Manhyia South, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh said the formation of the committee was very necessary since it would help save the tax payer money, which the country has been losing as a result of judgment debts arising out of contractual disputes between the State and private entities.

Buttressing his argument, he said the huge sum of 47 million Euros paid to Waterville Holdings (BVI) Limited as judgment debt was illegal, which he said has been proven by the former Attorney General, Mr. Martin Amidu. Opoku Prempeh was, however, of the view that the one month given to the committee to present their report to the House was too long, noting that: “if we give them one month, Mr. Speaker, they will not work on time, and there will be no pressure on them, I will suggest we give them two weeks.”

His argument was backed by the MP for Nanton, Murtala Mohammed. “Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague. I will even suggest we give them one week”, he intoned.

But the Speaker, in a swift response, said the work of the committee was a technical one and that the decision of one month proposed by the leaders of the House be maintained.

To ensure the committee comes out with the needed report, the Speaker ordered that the clerks to Parliament provide the Ad-Hoc committee with the necessary logistics they would need.

But the women MPs in the House were not happy with the number of women representation on the committee and calls on the Speaker to ensure gender balance.