Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta has expressed surprise at the continuous picketing at his office by Pensioner Bond Holders.

According to him, the ministry has addressed the concerns of the pensioners so there was no need for daily picketing.

In a release, the ministry indicated that participating in the debt restructuring was voluntary therefore pensioners could decide whether to participate or not.

However, the aggrieved pensioners insist that Minister must make it formal and include that their bonds are exempted from the debt restructuring.

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Meanwhile, Mr Ofori-Atta insists that those demands have been met.

"I issued a press release some time ago and I had made it equivocally clear that all government bonds will be honoured and that therefore whether you are voluntary or not, whether you have tendered or not it will be respected.

"I really want to understand why you are still here so that if there is anything more, I can say I can do that,” he quizzed.

Addressing the pensioners picketing at the Finance Ministry on Wednesday, he said although the release had indicated that tendering of bonds was voluntary, many pensioners did not tender their bonds.

The Minister reassured pensioners that the government was committed to honouring their bonds whether they tendered or not. 

“Really if you look at the press statement, it emphasised the fact that this was voluntary and about 15 -16% of the petitions actually tendered but they chose to.

“The bulk of you did not but I had indicated that it was voluntary which means that we will honour those payments,” he said.

Subsequently, the Finance Minister called for a crunch meeting with the Pensioners to decide the way forward.

Narrating the outcome of the meeting to JoyNews, Convener of Pensioner Bondholders Forum, Dr Adu Anane Antwi, said the Finance Minister will meet with the President to deliberate on their demand for exemption.

“Not agreement as such but the minister is going to take up the matter with the president and get back to us,” he said.

Mr Antwi said the outcome of the Finance Minister's meeting with the president will be announced when he appears before the house tomorrow.

“By the time that he goes back Parliament tomorrow we will have gotten feedback,” he added.

The group convened at the Finance Ministry for day eight of the hourly picketing exercise.

The exercise has witnessed a number of top personalities including Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo.