Censorship motion: Ofori-Atta insists on fair hearing

The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has asked the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority in Parliament to furnish him with documents that they will rely upon to execute the motion of censure initiated against him.

The minister’s lawyer, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, made the request Tuesday morning when the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee hearing the motion started its sitting.

Mr Otchere-Darko said the rules of natural justice and fair hearing required that the accused was not only heard but was furnished with the documents that formed the bases of the allegations made against him.
He, therefore, insisted that the Minority, led by its Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, provides the documents to him and his client.

The request was met with hesitance from the Minority, who appeared unprepared and insisted that they documents were already in the public domain and did not have to be tendered.

After back and forth on the matter, the co-Chairmen, K.T. Hammond and Dr Dominic Ayine, ruled that the Minority presented the documents to the minister and the committee.

The documents were subsequently listed.