The Director of the National Cathedral, Dr Paul Opoku Mensah, has dismissed corruption allegations made by the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, concerning the project.

According to Dr Opoku Mensah, the allegations made by the legislator about the National Cathedral are untrue and should be disregarded.

Speaking in an interview on UTV on Friday, June 9, 2023, Dr Opoku Mensah said members of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral had chosen not to engage Mr Ablakwa publicly because they would not use social media to debate what he described as false claims.

“None of what Okudzeto Ablakwa is saying is true. We don't respond to his claims because we are doing the work of God and we can't follow him to social media to debate,” he said in Twi.

Dr Opoku Mensah said the National Cathedral had records of expenditure on the project and that the relevant information had been submitted to Parliament.

“We have all the records of the monies used and they were sent to Parliament. This is it, we are not telling lies,” he said.

He further stated that the support the National Cathedral project had received from the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration had been approved by Parliament.

Ablakwa, in his latest allegations concerning the National Cathedral project, questioned government spending on the facility amid the country's economic difficulties.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, the MP criticised the Akufo-Addo administration over its spending priorities, particularly at a time when the country was facing economic challenges.

He questioned how the government could finance work on the National Cathedral while, according to him, claiming it lacked funds to pay school feeding caterers.

Ablakwa also shared a document purportedly from the Ministry of Finance relating to a request for funds for work on the project.

Parts of the document read, “Please refer to your letter No. SCR/DE3/296/02 dated 27th April 2021 requesting the release of US$5,817,769.65 (Five Million, Eight Hundred and Seventeen Thousand, Seven Hundred and Sixty-Nine US Dollars, Sixty-Five Cents) to pay consultancy fees in respect of the Variation Orders for the inclusion of 300+ Seater Restaurant and Expansion of the Bible Museum on the National Cathedral Project.

“We wish to suggest that due to budgetary constraints, the request in respect of the Variation Orders be charged to your funding source while Government takes steps to provide additional funding for the project in the course of the year.”

Watch the interview below:

We can't go on social media to argue with Okudzeto Ablakwa about National Cathedral lies - Board of Trustees, National Cathedral#UTVNews pic.twitter.com/RUbK2HLhdo

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) June 9, 2023