The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako has hit back at the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Okudzeto Ablakwa for making frivolous claims that the National Cathedral Secretariat illegally paid GH¢2.6 million to Rev Kusi Boateng.
Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi revealed that he has known Rev Kusi Boateng for more than 35 years and he can confidently say that GH¢2.6 million is like chicken change to Rev Kusi Boateng based on the assets he has.
He therefore insisted on Wontumi TV which was monitored by Wontumionline.com that Rev Kusi Boateng would not stoop low for an amount of GH¢2.6 million to dent his reputation.
The National Cathedral Secretariat has responded to claims of conflict of interest and corruption on the part of Rev Kusi Boateng, Secretary of the Secretariat by North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, insisting that payment made to the company( JNS Talent Centre), Okudzeto Ablakwa links to Rev Kusi Boateng, was a refund of a loan the company had given to the Secretariat.
Mr Ablakwa had earlier in the day claimed in a post on social media that Rev. Kusi Boateng, Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, was the third director of JNS Talent Cantre Limited, a company that received GH¢2.6 million payment from the Secretariat.
“Unimpeachable and incontrovertible evidence confirms that Mr. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is the famous Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng who still serves on the National Cathedral Board as an Executive Council Member/Director…
“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no distinct Kwabena Adu Gyamfi. Kwabena Adu Gyamfi is a criminal creation of Rev. Victor Kusi-Boateng. The two are therefore one and the same.
In response, Rev Dr Opoku Mensah, Executive Director of the Secretariat said that “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 contractors of the National Cathedral.
“This support was sought from a National Cathedral Trustee Member, Rev Kusi Boateng, in a letter dated August 26, 2021 due to a delay in the receipt of funds to pay the Contractors on time. The GHC 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 21 – 2022