Ken Ofori-Atta and wife in US
Contrary to claims that were circulated on social media yesterday that the Finance and Economic Planning Minister-designate, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, had succumbed to post Covid-19 complications, his Aide, Michael Bediako, has disclosed that “he is doing well and in good spirit”.
Mr Ofori-Atta left Ghana on Sunday for the United States of America for a special medical review.
A statement issued by the Public Relations unit of the Ministry of Finance said after recovering from Covid-19 last December, Mr Ofori-Atta had experienced some medical complications, which doctors had advised required further interventions not currently available in Ghana.
No cause for alarm
Yesterday, social media, especially Facebook, was awash with news that Mr Ofori-Atta had passed on after suffering from complications of the Covid-19.
However, Michael Bediako, an Aide to the Finance and Economic Planning Minister-designate, dispelling the news in a tweet, assured the public and financial sector players, both home and abroad, that Mr Ofori-Atta was in good spirit.
The claims of his supposed death were being made at a time the flight on which he was traveling to the United States had not even landed.
No cost to government
The Daily Statesman can again reliably report that the cost of the medical review is self-funded by the Minister-designate, who never took any allowance even in the last four years that he served as the Minister of Finance.
A section of the public yesterday created the erroneous impression that the cost of Mr Ofori-Atta’s travel and medical review was being paid for by the state, just for cheap political propaganda.
He is expected to be away for two weeks.
Mr Ofori-Atta was scheduled to appear before the Appointments Committee of Parliament yesterday, February 16, 2021.
MoF statement
The earlier statement released by the Finance ministry had indicated that the leadership of Parliament had been duly notified for a new date to be fixed upon his return.
The ministry’s statement further explained that the letterhead of the Ministry was used for the official communication because Mr Ofori-Atta is the representative of the President at the Ministry of Finance and also a Minister-designate of Finance and Economic Planning.
However, political opponents have misconstrued this to mean the state might be paying for the trip and medical review.
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