Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has claimed that Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a lawyer and cousin of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is exerting influence on Ministry of Finance officials to release GHS 187.3 million to one of his clients.

In his recent publication titled "Kitchen Scandal," the lawmaker has revealed extensive information about the involvement of the president's cousin in a scandal that could potentially result in a financial loss of GHS 187,356,969.55 to the state.

Ablakwa asserts that Gabby is at the heart of the scandal, which he describes as a story involving betrayal, audacity, hypocrisy, leveraging of influence, deceit, avarice, cooperation, coercion, clear favoritism, and blatant misuse of public funds.

In his pursuit of his objectives, the North Tongu MP claimed that Gabby has purportedly orchestrated the relocation of the Chief Director at the Ministry of Finance, leaving other officials intimidated or subdued.

“Insiders say Ministry officials are terrified as the “Prime Minister’s” pressure mounts. Already, it is suspected in several quarters that the former Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Patrick Nomo was transferred because he wasn’t cooperating on this matter.

“The new Chief Director and Ken Ofori-Atta staunch ally Eva Esselba Mends seems more amenable and is piling pressure on GRA to respond to Gabby’s 6-week ultimatum for payment to be effected,” he wrote in his publication published on Tuesday, August 1, 2023.

Ablakwa alleges that Otchere-Darko has successfully convinced certain parts of the government, including the Attorney-General and certain individuals within the Finance Ministry, to approve the payment of the mentioned amount to his new client, despite there being no legitimate grounds for such action.

"It is absolutely insane for Akufo-Addo’s “Kitchen Cabinet” to create this ginormous GHS187.3million liability for the Ghanaian taxpayer under this downgraded bankrupt IMF-bailout economy," the MP lamented.