The controversial sale of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust’s (SSNIT) share in about four hotels has been ordered to halt by the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA).
In order for the Authority to assess the document linked to the sale of the lodging facilities appropriately, this is necessary.
In a June 28 statement, Chief Executive John Kwaning Mbroh of the NPRA issued a directive, saying, “You are hereby directed by the Board of the Authority to suspend all the processes seeking to engage Rock City Hotel Limited as the Strategic Investor in the matter of the sale of the above-mentioned hotels.”
One week prior, at the Labadi Beach Hotel, hundreds of protestors assembled for the “Hands Off Our Hotels” incident.
Demanding the government to act quickly to halt the proposed sale of a sixty percent share in four prestigious hotels is the primary goal of the protest.
According to reports, Ghana’s Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, is the owner of this company.
La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Elmina Beach Resort, Busua Beach Resort, and Labadi Beach Hotel are among the properties under concern.
The protest’s coordinator, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the MP for North Tongu, contended that giving government employees access to state-owned property amounts to an obvious abuse of authority and should not be allowed.
In spite of SNNIT’s commitment, the NPRA Board decided to halt the sale in order to help them issue pertinent guidelines on the way forward in accordance with the National Pensions Act.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has already filed a formal petition with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to look into the allegations.
The NPRA says SNNIT appeared before the Board of the Authority on June 24 at their meeting “to further provide insights on the subject, albeit inconclusive.”
In his appeal to CHRAJ, Mr. Ablakwa requests a probe into a number of charges, including cronyism, graft, lack of due process, abuse of authority, and conflicts of interest.
The Member of Parliament emphasized what he believed to be a breach of the 1992 Constitution by referring to Articles 78(3) and 98(2).
Following that, on Friday, May 17, he made a Facebook post arguing that Dr. Bryan Acheampong violated parliamentary protocol by allegedly participating in the hotel sale without the Speaker of Parliament’s consent.