Accra, Jan 17, GNA – The Board and Management of the National Cathedral Project says the GHS 2.6 million payment made on September 28, 2021, to JNS was legal.
A statement signed by Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, the Executive Director of the National Cathedral of Ghana, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said following the January 7 memo refutation of false claims made against the National Cathedral, the attention of the National Cathedral Secretariat had been drawn to yet another “false accusation” .
It said “this time, and using information from the same documentation submitted by the Secretariat to Parliament on December 15, 2022” , the National Cathedral was alleged to have made illegal payments of GHS 2.6m to a company called JNS.
“As a normal verification—expected of a Member of Parliament—would have revealed, this was not an illegal payment but rather a refund of a short-term interest free loan made by JNS to top up the payments to the contactors of the National Cathedral.
“This support was sought from a National Cathedral Trustee Member, Rev Kusi Boateng, in alter dated August 26, 2021 due to a delay in the receipt of funds to pay the Contractors on time,” it said.
“The GHS 2.6m was paid from the JNS account to the National Cathedral account on August 27,2021, following a request from Rev Kusi Boateng to his bankers, ADB. The GHC 2.6m was refunded to Rev Kusi Boateng, and JNS, by the National Cathedral on September 28, 2021. So, this is not an illegal payment!”
The statement said as Board and Management of the National Cathedral Project had stressed, consistently, a project of that nature that significantly raised the issues of faith and national development would always have its discontent, malcontents, as well as those who would use “lies, and reckless populist statements to give the impression of wanting accountability. In our vibrant democracy, this was to be expected”.
“However, we do expect that the basic values of verification, particularly by Members of Parliament, would be followed.”
It said the Board and Management of the National Cathedral Project remained focused and committed to the completion of the National Cathedral, and would continue to do so with diligence, integrity, excellence and accountability.
GNA