Accra: The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called for the immediate resignation or dismissal of Dr. Dominic Ayine, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, over an alleged unlawful directive leading to the release of GHS350 million from the Contingency Fund to support June 29 flood victims.
According to Ghana News Agency, at a press conference in Parliament House in Accra on Wednesday, Madam Patricia Appiagyei, the Deputy Minority Leader and MP for Asokwa, stated that the directive breached both the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) and a subsisting court order. She highlighted that the withdrawal amounted to a constitutional violation since the Contingency Fund was under garnishee proceedings at the time.
Madam Appiagyei raised concerns, questioning how the money was moved and stressed that if the approved source was unavailable, any alternative arrangement should have been presented to Parliament for approval. The Minority argued that either the Bank of Ghana allowed a withdrawal in defiance of a court order, or the funds were taken from another public account without parliamentary approval, undermining constitutional safeguards and criminalizing unauthorized withdrawals of public funds.
The caucus demands that both the Attorney-General and the Finance Minister appear before Parliament to present all relevant records, including the garnishee order, correspondence with the Bank of Ghana, and the July 1 directive. They also want a public clarification from the Governor of the Bank of Ghana regarding the source of the funds and a special audit by the Auditor-General into the disbursement.
Madam Appiagyei noted Dr. Ayine's failure in his constitutional duties as the government's principal legal adviser and as the officer responsible for civil proceedings against the state. She urged that should he fail to resign, the President should relieve him of office without delay.
The GHS350 million was approved by Parliament on June 29, 2026, to be withdrawn from the Contingency Fund to support relief and mitigation efforts following recent floods across the country. However, the Minority contends that the disbursement was executed while the fund was under attachment, raising questions about legality and transparency.
The Caucus argues that if the money was not drawn from the Contingency Fund, then Parliament's approval was bypassed, and the Finance Ministry's public statement misrepresented the source of the funds. The Minority has vowed to pursue every parliamentary and legal avenue to ensure accountability if government officials fail to provide candid answers.