The National Cathedral site has been handed back to the government as the Mahama administration awaits the Attorney-General’s review of a forensic audit into expenditure on the project, Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Minister Mahama Ayariga has disclosed.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series at Jubilee House on Monday, October 5, Mr Ayariga said the contractor had been instructed to hand over the site to his Ministry, which will retain it until the government determines the project’s future based on advice from the Attorney-General.
“Given that the National Cathedral is a property of the Government of Ghana, I’ve also directed the contractor to hand over the site to the Minister of Local Government and Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, awaiting Federal government directive,” he said.
Mr Ayariga said the Attorney-General is currently reviewing the forensic audit into expenditure incurred under the previous administration in connection with the initial plans to construct the National Cathedral.
“After the Attorney General has reviewed the audit that has been conducted, the forensic audit that has been conducted into the expenditures related to the initial plans to construct a national Cathedral by President Akufo-Addo and then based on the Attorney General’s advice, we would know what the next steps are,” he said.
He also confirmed that the government had dissolved the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral following its decision not to allocate further public funds to the project.
“And so I have sent the letter to the board members informing them that they have been dissolved,” he said, adding that the government would determine the next steps for the site after receiving the Attorney-General’s advice.