The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, and the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, clashed in Parliament over the latest developments involving former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and his reported status in the United States.

The exchange followed reports that Lawyers for Ken Ofori-Atta on Tuesday reported that a US court has granted his request for permanent residency in the United States.

Raising the issue on the floor of Parliament, the Majority leader criticised the Minority and pointed to earlier political promises they made about the former minister’s return to Ghana to face accountability.

“In the not-too-distant future, when the economy has been stabilised, if you are able to get the former finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to come back to Ghana and account for all that he has taken out of the country, why?”

He continued by reminding the Minority of their past commitments to bring Ken Ofori-Atta back to the country.

“You even promised to bring Ken Ofori-Atta to this country. You promised us in this chamber that you would bring Ken Ofori-Atta to Ghana. We didn’t ask you, but you promised us.”

“Now we are told that he has obtained permanent residency in the United States. A former finance minister running away from his country. And you sit there, and you want to complain about a government that is just one and a half years in office, fixing the mess of people like that," he added.

The Majority leader said that if Ken Ofori-Atta had nothing to fear, he should be willing to come back to the country to account.

“If he has nothing to fear, he should man up and come back to this country and come and defend himself.”

But the Minority leader pushed back, accusing the Majority Leader of unfairly attacking Mr Ofori-Atta in his absence and denying him the chance to respond.

“We cannot bring Ken Ofori-Atta’s name here when the man is not here to defend himself and make serious allegations against him.”

He questioned the tone of the accusations and called for restraint.

“He is a human being like you, a citizen like you. He also has children. He has his family. Be fair.”

Mr Afenyo-Markin also criticised what he described as repeated attacks on the former minister, recalling earlier incidents in Parliament involving placards against him.

“If you think that you have all your evidence, the court is yours… but don’t use this Parliament to launch an attack on Ken Ofori-Atta. He came to serve. If you have any issues with his service, deal with it," he said.

The exchange continued when Mr Ayariga insisted that the public should hold the opposition party accountable for Mr Ofori-Atta’s situation and alleged economic mismanagement during his time in office.

“Ghanaians should demand of the NPP that if they don’t produce Ken Ofori-Atta in this country, they should never come before them asking for power again.”

"Because you presented him to this parliament as your nominee for a finance minister, and we approved him as a nominee for finance minister and gave him our economy to manage, and he mismanaged it, and ran away. And you want to go back to Ghanaians and ask Ghanaians to give you power again, so that you will bring another Ken Ofori-Atta to mismanage the economy and run to Europe," he added.