President Akufo-Addo has said the allegations of extortion leveled against the Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyeremanten are flimsy and irresponsible.

His comments come in the wake of the establishment of a five-member bipartisan committee by the Speaker of Parliament to probe the veracity of the allegations.

“In fact, I think that the position that I have taken potentially…could lend me into a lot of problems which is to say that any allegation that is made against any appointee of mine will be investigated.

“And that opens you up for having to investigate even the flimsiest and irresponsible allegations that are made. …like for instance what is going on in parliament now,” he said Wednesday during his encounter with the media in reference with the committee’s sittings.

Fakhri’s payment will be shocking

He insisted that the allegations are politically motivated and that it would be incomprehensible for the CEO of Dream Realty and Inesfly, Saeed Fakhri to pay the $100.000.00 to sit close to him at the Ghana Expatriates Business Awards last year.

The awards ceremony generated massive controversy after it emerged that expatriate business moguls including Mr. Fakhri who participated in the ceremony were charged a whopping figure to sit close to the president.

“His father was a good friend of my own father and he himself has become a very close personal friend of mine. I know him and I eat in his house. He eats in my house. He has my telephone number. I have his. Even since I became president I have eaten in his house a couple of times. He has also been to my house,” President Akufo-Addo told journalists Wednesday at the Flag Staff House.

He added, “I will be amazed if somebody like that, Saeed Fakhri will think that he needs to pay money to come and sit next to me. This is a man who can get me on the telephone anytime of his choosing. Who sees me, who comes to my house and whose house I go to.”



The committee

The government through the Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid, issued a statement exonerating the Ministry of any wrongdoing.

The Minority in parliament insisted there was wrongdoing leading to the establishment of the five-member committee.

The committee has so far heard evidence of some members of the minority who have alleged wrongdoing in the event as well as the trade ministry who insist there were no shady deals in the awards event.

On Monday, the committee took evidence from officials of the Millennium Excellence Awards.