Accra: The New Patriotic Party Minority Caucus in Parliament has accused the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice of allegedly directing unlawfulness and causing constitutional chaos over the release of GHS350 million for the national flood response scheduled on June 29, 2026.
According to Ghana News Agency, during a press conference addressed by Madam Patricia Appiagyei, the Deputy Minority Leader, the Minority presented a letter dated July 1, 2026, from the Attorney-General (AG) to the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) as evidence of the alleged misconduct. The Caucus claimed that the letter directed the release of GHS350 million "notwithstanding" ongoing garnishee proceedings against the Contingency Fund.
Madam Appiagyei highlighted that the AG, despite being aware of an active court process, instructed the central bank to proceed based solely on his "considered opinion," lacking proper authority. She emphasized that in Ghana, court processes should not be overridden by any minister's opinion.
The Deputy Minority Leader quoted the AG's letter, titled "Release of Funds from the Contingency Fund for the National Emergency Flood Response Programme," to allege that the AG admitted awareness of the garnishee proceedings but believed exceptional circumstances warranted the immediate release of the funds. According to Madam Appiagyei, who is also the NPP Member of Parliament for Asokwa, the AG allegedly advised the BoG to expedite the release of the GHS350 million.
As a consequence, the Minority argued that the proper course of action for the AG would have been to seek a court order to vary or discharge the attachment, rather than bypassing the judicial process. Madam Appiagyei noted that although Parliament approved the withdrawal from the Contingency Fund on June 29, 2026, the funds might have been sourced from another public account due to the ongoing attachment.
The group accused the Ministry of Finance of inaccurately announcing the release from the Contingency Fund, suggesting that the funds were obtained from an alternative source without parliamentary approval. The Minority listed several constitutional violations, including the supremacy of the Constitution and rule of law, parliamentary control over public funds, and the AG's failure to resist the attachment or provide lawful counsel.
The Caucus also accused the government of deceiving Parliament by concealing material facts and issuing a false statement to the public. They demanded the immediate appearance of the AG and Minister for Finance before Parliament, along with relevant documents and clarifications from the BoG Governor regarding the account debited.
Furthermore, the Minority called for a special audit by the Auditor-General and the resignation or removal of the AG by the President. They argued that an AG who directs actions "notwithstanding" court proceedings has failed to uphold the Constitution.
Madam Appiagyei warned that if the AG does not resign, the Minority would urge the President to relieve him of his duties. The Minority also indicated their intent to pursue a full parliamentary inquiry and potentially seek recourse with the Supreme Court.