President Nana Akufo-Addo has dismissed Charles Adu Boahen, Ghana’s Minister of State for Finance, following claims of inappropriate behavior made public by a prominent investigative journalist.
Boahen was dismissed after the President was informed of the allegations, the administration claimed in a statement.
The president also handed over the case to Special Prosecutor for further investigation.
As the nation continues to struggle with its worst economic crisis in a generation, lawmakers are calling for the resignation of finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta and accusing him of corruption and financial mismanagement.
The allegations against Adu Boahen do not appear to be related to those against Ofori-Atta.
Ghana is known to be the second-largest gold producer in Africa, artisanal mining is familiar and makes up about one-third of the nation’s output.
Anas Aremeyaw Anas an investigative journalist accused Boahen of accepting bribes from artisanal mine investors.
Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia said in a statement that a video showed Adu Boahen “apparently using my name, inter alia, to peddle influence and collect money from supposed investors”.
“I would like to state that if what the minister (Adu Boahen) is alleged to have said is accurately captured in the video, then his position as a minister of state is untenable. He should be dismissed summarily and investigated.”
In the meantime, Ken Ofori-Atta, the nation’s finance minister, is coming under assault from lawmakers who charge him with fraud and poor management of the economy.
On November 6, thousands of protestors marched through Accra, the capital of Ghana, calling on President Nana Akufo-Addo to resign in the face of an economic crisis that has caused the cost of food and petrol to reach record highs.
