ASEPA petitions Presidency to remove Labianca CEO as Council of State member

Pressure group, the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) is calling for the dismissal of Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh as a member of the Council of State.

In a letter addressed to the Presidency by ASEPA, it stated that her position on the council ought to be terminated based on the investigative report by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

The report revealed that Madam Asomah-Hinneh used her influence to evade taxes.

Speaking to Citi News, the Executive Director for ASEPA, Mensah Thompson, said the President should follow the provisions in Article 89(6) of the constitution to terminate her appointment.

“We deem the allegations very seriously and for the fact that, the OSP has conducted investigations and has come out with a report leading to the refund of money, it means that the case has moved from mere allegations to a matter of substance. So based on this, we have petitioned the President requesting the termination of Madam Asomah-Hinneh as a member of the council of state on grounds of stated misbehaviour.”

Calls for the resignation of Council of State member, Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asomah-Hinneh, have intensified over the matter.

An anti-corruption crusader, Vitus Azeem, for example, said Mrs. Asoma-Hinneh should not be in office.

“This Council of State member should have resigned by now. If the leadership, the President and his executive are determined to fight corruption, that should be the case,” Mr. Azeem said to Citi News.

He also wants the President to conduct deeper investigations into the matter to prove his commitment to fighting corruption.

Mrs. Asomah-Hinneh, who owns Labianca Company and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA),  has been accused of allegedly using her position to get a favourable decision from the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

These led to a reduction in her company’s tax liabilities.

The Special Prosecutor has since recovered GHS 1 million from Labianca.

Mr. Azeem, however, was not optimistic that this case would amount to much.

“The Special Prosecutor, like the former one, is probably struggling to do his best, but I am not sure if he will be given the necessary cooperation and the necessary support [he will succeed],” Mr. Azeem.

Also speaking to Citi News on the matter, Frank Asare, the whistleblower who petitioned the Special Prosecutor, leading to the investigation, said Mrs. Asomah-Hinneh should as a matter of urgency be relieved of her position.

He stressed that the Council of State deserved members with better morals.

“I hold the view that people who are members of the Council of State have high moral turpitude, and they should at all cost do things that will rather help the nation to grow,” Mr. Asare said

Source: Citi Newsroom