Sack Sammy Gyamfi — Minority
The Minority in Parliament has called for the immediate sacking or suspension of the acting CEO of the Ghana GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, for giving out foreign currency to an evangelist, Patricia Oduro Koranteng, known popularly as Nana Agradaa.
They said the open display and giving out of dollars by Mr Gyamfi was an affront to the Code of Conduct for Political Appointees that was launched by President John Dramani Mahama recently.
Again, the Minority said the action by Mr Gyamfi breached the Foreign Exchange and Currency Acts.
At a press briefing jointly addressed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Walewale, Dr Abdul Kabiru Tiah Mahama, and Bekwai in the Ashanti Region, Ralph Poku-Adusei, the Minority further stressed the need for a thorough investigation into the source of the dollars.
"This issue is a serious one, and the Minority in Parliament will follow it to ensure that the right sanctions are applied to Mr Sammy Gyamfi. We will not look on while public office is desecrated," Dr Mahama stressed.
The Minority also said it was important for the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to go after the recipient of the money, which they alleged was $10,000, to ensure that a gift tax was paid accordingly.
Context
A viral video that emerged on social media captured the CEO of the GoldBod interacting with the fetish priestess turned evangelist, Patricia Oduro Koranteng, known popularly as Nana Agradaa.
In the video, Nana Agradaa is heard requesting money (dollars) from Mr Gyamfi’s vehicle.
Mr Gyamfi was then seen counting some dollar notes, which were snatched by Nana Agradaa and displayed to some bystanders.
Following the uproar that greeted the action by Mr Gyamfi, the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, is said to have invited him to the Presidency for a discussion on the matter.
It is also said that the National Security has been directed to conduct a search at Mr Gyamfi's residence.
Act swiftly
However, at the press briefing, Dr Mahama said the invitation extended to Mr Gyamfi by the Chief of Staff was not enough and that stiff sanctions must be applied on the GoldBod CEO.
He stressed that the display of dollars by Mr Gyamfi constituted "financial recklessness by a public officer" and a display of opulence at a time majority of Ghanaians were faced with economic challenges.
Additionally, he said a stiffer sanction on Mr Gyamfi would send a strong signal to government officials with access to state resources to be cautious of their actions.
He said it was ridiculous that a section of the public suggests that Mr Gyamfi did nothing untoward by publicly displaying and sharing foreign currency.
Dr Mahama said the current issue was a test case for President Mahama to apply the sanctions regime in the code of ethics recently launched.
Dr Mahama also said the keeping, circulating, and sharing of dollars infringed on Section 26 of the Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242) and the Foreign Exchange Act, 2006 (Act 723).
