Gov't got it wrong - Minority Leader

Minority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu says the government got it all wrong in its response to his Ghc2.8 billion embezzlement claim.

He said the justification in a government statement related to a deficit and not over-expenditure and expressed surprise at the confusion.

“If the government cannot distinguish between deficit and over-expenditure, it will be most unfortunate,” he said.

In a signed statement made available to Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, the Minority Leader said he did not talk about budget deficit, but something totally different from over-expenditure.

He defended his embezzlement tagging, which he claimed happened during the last three months of 2012 and said he was apt.

This is because the expenditure did not have parliament’s authorisation. Such expenditure over and above the approvals by parliament, in the context, amount to embezzlement, but notwithstanding, it was utilised.

“For financial year 2012, government presented two budgets: the main budget, which was presented in November 2011, and a supplementary budget submitted in July 22.

Beyond these came the unprecedented over-expenditure – more than 90 per cent of which was applied in the last three months (October-December).”

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said it must not be missed on anyone that those were the months of heightened electioneering and today, “we know the sectors where the over-expenditure occurred: education, interior, energy and government machinery”.

“This is a fact of our national life. Is anybody wrong in concluding, as I have done, that the huge expenditure at the peak of the electioneering... was meant to boost the campaign of the incumbent President?”

He criticised the harsh tone of the government’s response, saying “I honestly believe it will serve the interest of government and indeed the nation if they are more professional in their responses rather than resort to outworn shenanigans to defend the indefensible, especially when, as in this case the response bear little or no relevance to the issue at stake.”