Ghana president sacks minister over alleged corruption

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday has sacked Charles Adu Boahen, minister of state for finance, after allegations of corruption were circulated by popular Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

A statement from the presidency states that the president fired Mr Adu Boahen after being made aware of allegations levelled against him in an expose, adding that Mr Akufo-Addo had also referred the matter to the Special Prosecutor for further investigations.

Mr Adu Boahen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is also facing calls for dismissal from members of parliament who accused him of corruption and economic mismanagement as the country faces its worst economic crisis in a generation.

The allegations against Mr Adu Boahen did not appear to be related to those previously raised against Mr Ofori-Atta.

Mr Adu Boahen could be seen in a video posted online by Mr Anas, who also circulated a lengthy email containing detailed allegations.

Reuters has not verified the authenticity of the video or the content of the email.

Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia said in a statement the video showed Mr 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,” Mr Bawumia said.