By Godwill Arthur-Mensah/Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Accra, July 08, GNA – The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called for the immediate resignation or dismissal of Dr Dominic Ayine, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, over an alleged unlawful directive leading to the release of GH¢350 million from the Contingency Fund to support June 29 flood victims.
At a press conference in Parliament House in Accra on Wednesday, Madam Patricia Appiagyei, the Deputy Minority Leader and MP for Asokwa, said the directive breached both the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) and a subsisting court order.
She argued that the withdrawal amounted to a constitutional violation since the Contingency Fund was under garnishee proceedings at the time.
“The unavoidable question, therefore, is how did the money move?” she asked, stressing that if the approved source was unavailable, any alternative arrangement should have been brought back to Parliament for approval.
The Minority insisted that either the Bank of Ghana allowed a withdrawal in defiance of a court order, or the funds were taken from another public account without parliamentary approval.
It contended that such a move undermined constitutional safeguards and criminalises unauthorised withdrawals of public funds.
The caucus is demanding that both the Attorney-General and the Finance Minister appear before Parliament to present all relevant records, including the garnishee order, correspondence with the Bank of Ghana, and the July 1 directive. They also want the Governor of the Bank of Ghana to publicly clarify the source of the funds and a special audit by the Auditor-General into the disbursement.
Madam Appiagyei noted that Dr Ayine had failed in his constitutional duty as principal legal adviser to the government and as the officer responsible for civil proceedings against the state.
“Should he fail to do the honourable thing, we call on the President to relieve him of office without delay,” she said.
The GH¢350 million was approved by Parliament on June 29,2026, to be withdrawn from the Contingency Fund to support relief and mitigation efforts following recent floods across the country.
However, the Minority argues that the disbursement was executed while the fund was under attachment, raising questions about legality and transparency.
According to the Caucus, if the money was not drawn from the Contingency Fund, then Parliament’s approval was bypassed, and the Finance Ministry’s public statement misrepresented the source of the funds.
The Minority has vowed to pursue every parliamentary and legal avenue to ensure accountability if government officials fail to provide candid answers.
GNA
Reporters:
Godwill Arthur-Mensah/ [email protected]
Elsie Appiah-Osei/ [email protected]