Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is calling for a full-scale parliamentary probe into Ghana’s spending at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

He tells Luv Sports he will table that when the house resumes next month.

In the heat of Ghana’s economic crisis, the government approved an amount of $8.5 million presented by the GFA as budget for the Black Stars at the ongoing AFCON.

Ablakwa hints that though the Finance Minister instructed the Controller and Accountant General to release US$5,071,840.36 as part payment of the budget, the Controller advanced in excess of US$6,946,450.00 equivalent to GH₵82, 596,763.73.

This is some GH₵22 million more than the instructed release of GH₵60, 305,717.80.

Speaking in an interview on Luv FM in Kumasi, Ablakwa expressed shock at how such financial recklessness will occur in a country that is going through debt restructuring.

"The level of financial recklessness is unbelievable, the GFA blew GH₵27.9m before we entered 2024, then as soon as we entered 2024 for AFCON, even before we took off they had blown GH₵15m and another GH₵14m they say on per diems," he mentioned.

"If you look at documents that have per-diems, per diems and honorarium are supposed to mean the same thing but in this breakdown, they have provided there is a separate figure for per diem and then another separate figure for honorarium. It’s just a free for all and it is unbelievable”.

Ablakwa who is also a ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, says there must be a parliamentary probe when the house resumes on how monies were disbursed and spent at AFCON 2023.

"The recklessness is too much and that is why I insist that there ought to be a full-scale parliamentary probe. When the house resumes we are going to file a motion for a full-scale parliamentary enquiry and all those Ministers and public officials including those at the FA who think that they should rather insult me instead of accounting to the Ghanaian people on the thought processes that went into coming out with this budget," he continued.

"They need to tell us why they will at this time of unprecedented economic crisis come up with this staggering amount of $8.5m. They should know that all of them will be made to account and there will be sanctions, it’s just a matter of time."