I misquoted myself – MEF president admits before cash-for-seat c’ttee

Millennium Excellence Foundation (MEF) President Ashim Morton has admitted to some lapses in his presentation before the cash-for-seat Investigative Committee.

Giving his witness statement before the Committee Monday, he had said the Foundation received the sum of GHS2,367,426.06 as part of its share of the profit made at the Ghana Expatriate Business Awards (GEBA) last year.

The MEF boss had also said the amount of GHS40,000 received from the Trades Ministry for event preparatory works was paid out of the overall amount. 

But this account changed after Deputy Minority leader James Avedzi raised issues with some figures on a document submitted to the Committee.

"In total how much did you receive from the Ministry," Mr Avedzi asked Mr Morton to repeat the amount the Foundation received as its profit share. 

"You told us and I wrote it down the amount you claim you received from the Ministry. I just want you to repeat it," the Deputy Minority leader said.

But the question was greeted with a loud silence from the MEF president.

Mr Avedzi then quoted a figure of GHS2.4million that had earlier been supplied to the Committee, but according to Mr Morton that figure rather represented the “total expenditure for the [entire] event." 

"Mr Chairman I misquoted myself," he admitted, adding he will later furnish the Committee with the amount the Foundation received as its profit.

On the sale of seats to expat businesses, the MEF boss said: “no one company paid a $100,000.”

He said the Trades Ministry advised the event planners not to sell any seat on the presidential table to expatriates who attended it.

Mr Morton maintained the word 'president' stated on the $100,000 sponsorship package was referring to him and not president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who was not billed to attend the event.

"I am going through this carefully to erase that notion that someone paid to sit with the Head of State. No company paid $100,000 to sit on the table," he said.

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