Governance Expert, Professor Baffour Agyemang Duah says the Minister for Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong acquiring some hotels from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) is morally wrong.

This comes on the back of SSNIT almost done with the deal of selling its 60% shares in Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Ride Royal Hotel, and Elmina Beach Resort to Rock City Hotel.

The North Tongu Member of Parliament, Okudzeto Ablakwa, has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to probe the sale of six hotels including Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Elmina Beach Resort, Ridge Royal Hotel, Busua Beach Resort, and the Trust Lodge Hotel to Bryan Acheampong.

But SSNIT in response indicated that based on its criteria set out for the sale, Rocky City submitted the best among the proposals.

“Based on the criteria set out in the RFP, Rock City Hotel submitted the best and strongest technical and financial proposal amongst those received. Consequently, it is in negotiation with SSNIT to buy a 60% stake in each of the four (4) hotels (Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Ridge Royal Hotel, and Elmina Beach Resort),” SSNIT added in a statement.

Commenting on the matter on the GHOne TV State of Affairs show with Francis Abban, the Governance Expert indicated that the fact that Bryan Acheampong is a political figure's optics are awful even before getting into the details.

“At a glance the optics are awful, the optics just look at it without even delving into it. The fact that the Minister of State, though we know that he started the process of acquiring this before he was appointed a Minister nonetheless he was in Parliament.

“He is a known political figure, so whether he started the process before being appointed a Minister or he got it during his Ministerial appointment it’s the same. I think the optics are very bad. You see in governance even if it is legal you don’t do it because morally it’s wrong,” Prof Agyemang Duah stated.