The Minority in Parliament has intensified pressure on President John Dramani Mahama to dismiss Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, over alleged constitutional and legal breaches surrounding the release of GH¢350 million for flood relief operations.
The opposition caucus claims the money, which Parliament approved for withdrawal from the Contingency Fund, may have been released despite the account being affected by ongoing garnishee proceedings.
Addressing journalists in Parliament on Wednesday, July 8, Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei said the circumstances under which the money was disbursed had raised serious questions about compliance with Ghana’s Constitution and public financial management laws.
According to the Minority, a letter dated July 1, 2026, from the Attorney-General reportedly acknowledged that the Contingency Fund was the subject of garnishee proceedings. However, the caucus alleges that Dr Ayine still advised the Bank of Ghana to release the money because of the emergency created by the recent floods.
The Minority argued that no government official has the authority to disregard a valid court process, regardless of the urgency or public interest surrounding a proposed expenditure.
Appiagyei said the central question requiring an immediate answer was how the GH¢350 million was ultimately transferred.
The caucus maintained that if the Contingency Fund remained legally restricted, the money could only have been withdrawn from another public account. Such a move, it argued, would have required fresh parliamentary authorisation.
The Minority therefore alleges that Parliament may have approved the use of money from one account while the government eventually released funds from a completely different source.
It further questioned the Ministry of Finance’s announcement that the GH¢350 million had been released from the Contingency Fund, insisting that the government must disclose the exact account that was debited and identify the officials who authorised the transaction.
The opposition lawmakers said any withdrawal from an alternative public account without parliamentary approval could violate Articles 177 and 178 of the Constitution, as well as the Public Financial Management Act, 2016.
They also accused the Attorney-General of failing in his responsibility as the government’s principal legal adviser and the official mandated to manage civil proceedings involving the state.
According to Appiagyei, the Attorney-General should have taken steps to challenge or discharge the attachment placed on the Contingency Fund instead of allegedly advising the central bank to proceed with the release.
The Minority is consequently demanding Dr Ayine’s immediate resignation. It has urged President Mahama to remove him from office should he refuse to step down voluntarily.
The caucus is also demanding that the Attorney-General and Finance Minister appear before Parliament to produce the garnishee order, complete court records, the July 1 letter and all correspondence relating to the withdrawal.
Additionally, it wants the Governor of the Bank of Ghana to clarify whether the central bank acted on or rejected the Attorney-General’s directive and disclose the precise source of the GH¢350 million.
The Minority has also called for a special audit by the Auditor-General to trace the flood relief money from its source to its final beneficiaries.
It warned that failure by the government to provide transparent answers could result in a full-scale parliamentary inquiry and legal action at the Supreme Court.
The GH¢350 million package reportedly includes GH¢200 million for relief supplies and assistance to flood victims, while GH¢150 million has been allocated for flood mitigation interventions.
The Minority’s allegations have opened a fresh political battle over the government’s flood response, with pressure mounting on the Attorney-General, the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana to publicly account for how the emergency funds were released.
