The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says he has never had any interest in purchasing state assets, despite numerous opportunities to do so.
According to him, he views the purchase of state assets as a conflict of interest and an unethical practice.
“If you know me, you will appreciate that I don’t go near state assets, whether they are land, cars, or anything else. Even when opportunities have arisen—such as when it has been announced that you can auction your car to yourself upon leaving office—I have never unveiled myself in any of those things,”
The North Tongu MP explained that he is not interested in such deals because, “It is much of a conflict of interest, it is not ethical, it is not dignified, it is not honourable.”
The MP was responding to a question from Blessed Sogah regarding the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s (OSP) mid-year report, which highlighted the sale of public lands to politically exposed persons.
Mr Ablakwa noted that he would not be implicated if the OSP investigates the sale of such lands during previous years when the NDC was in power.
“You can go as far back as you want, but I do not think that I will be caught up in this, and I can never be caught up in this,” he stressed.
The lawmaker is the chairman of the government’s Operation Recover All Loots
(ORAL) committee, an initiative launched by President John Mahama to identify, investigate, and recover looted state assets by politicians, particularly those from the Nana Akufo-Addo administration.
Meanwhile, ORAL has faced criticism from legal experts, particularly members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), who argue that it lacks legal backing.Opponents of the initiative also claim that it is primarily designed to intimidate individuals who do not align with the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
