….Says it went on a ‘whitewash mission’ over Kusi Boateng’s double identity
Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has criticized the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) report on the National Cathedral matter involving allegations of corruption.
He accused CHRAJ of conducting a “whitewash mission” regarding the issue of double identity, arguing that the commission gave Victor Kusi Boateng some relief due to his struggles.
Ablakwa referred to the CHRAJ report, quoting, “The 4th Respondent Victor Kusi-Boateng a.k.a. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi does not hold two (2) different passports each bearing one of his two names with different dates of birth on each document. There is no Victor Kusi-Boateng in the Passport database.” (found on page 159 of CHRAJ report, bullet 11).
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However, the report later stated, “The 4th Respondent has rather been issued four (4) ordinary passports (three (3) of which have expired) and one Diplomatic Passport under his name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi with the same date of birth.”
Ablakwa pointed out the contradiction, noting that the same report referred to Victor Kusi Boateng a.k.a. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi as the 4th respondent and then claimed there was no Victor KusiBoateng in the passport database.
The MP further provided evidence to support his allegations of double identity, including a National Cathedral incorporation document that listed Victor Kusi Boateng with a date of birth of September 7, 1971.
Ablakwa questioned how Victor Kusi Boateng could have incorporated the National Cathedral of Ghana in 2019 under the name Victor Kusi Boateng with that date of birth, while later being issued a diplomatic passport under the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, with a different date of birth: December 30, 1969. “Is that not criminal?” he asked on TV3’s Key Points show on Saturday, November 30.
Ablakwa again presented evidence from the Electoral Commission’s database, showing that in 2016, Kusi Boateng was issued a voter ID under the name Victor Kusi Boateng and was 40 years old at the time.
However, in 2020, another voter ID was issued to him under the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, and he was listed as 50 years old.
A check on the 2024 electoral register revealed that the 2016 ID number was no longer in the system, but the 2020 voter ID was still registered under the name Gyamfi Kwabena Adu, with the birth date of December 30, 1969, supporting the MP’s claim.
Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that Kusi Boateng, who had taken him to court, was registered under the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, a.k.a. Kusi Boateng.
However, at CHRAJ, he claimed to be Victor Kusi Boateng, a.k.a. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
The MP also quoted from the CHRAJ report, which stated: “It is noteworthy that the other allegations contained in the Complainant’s (Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa) 09 March 2023 letter, which revolve around the 4th Respondent (Victor Kusi Boateng), allegedly making false statements/declarations to obtain two Tax Identification Numbers in both 2013 and 2016, are matters falling outside the mandate areas of the Commission and thus will not be delved into.
This is particularly so because at the relevant time at which the purported acts were allegedly taken, the 4th Respondent was not a public officer. The 4th Respondent only became a public officer in March 2017 when the National Cathedral board was inaugurated.
The Commission is, however, mindful of the fact that making false declarations is a criminal offence as provided under sections 248 and 251 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), which state that:
“Whoever, in order that he may obtain or be qualified to act in any public office or to vote at any public election, makes, signs, publishes, or uses any declaration, statement, oath, certificate, or testimonial as to his conduct or services, or as to any other matter which is material for obtaining such office, or for his qualification to act in such office or to vote at such election, and does so knowing that the declaration, statement, oath, certificate, or testimonial is false in any material particular, shall be guilty of misdemeanor.”
“Whoever, with intent to defeat, obstruct, or pervert the course of justice, or the due execution of the law, or to obtain or assist in obtaining any passport, instrument, concession, appointment, permission, or other privilege or advantage, endeavours to deceive or overreach any public officer by personation or by any false instrument, document, seal, signature, or by any false statement, declaration, or assurance, is guilty of misdemeanor.”
Therefore, the report further mentioned that the Commission was referring this matter to the Attorney-General for investigation and necessary action.
In addition to these findings, CHRAJ conducted a field investigation on August 15, 2023, to assess the status of the National Cathedral Project.
The team found that construction had halted, and materials such as cranes, iron rods, and other equipment were seen lying idle at the site.
The Commission also reported that, as of May 31, 2022, an amount of GHS 225,962,500.00 had been released as seed money for the construction of the National Cathedral.
However, the Commission noted that it lacked the expertise to assess whether this money had been properly utilized, given the project’s halted state.
As a result, the Commission recommended that the Auditor-General conduct a forensic audit to determine whether funds released for the project had been properly used.
