The National Cathedral Secretariat has denied allegations of corruption and procurement violations in the project.
According to Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, Executive Director of the National Cathedral Secretariat, there is no proof of criminality or corruption in the cathedral project.
Dr. Opoku-Mensah told the media that all expenditures linked to the cathedral’s construction had been submitted to Parliament.
“I can’t understand or fathom why a project of this magnitude would refuse to be accountable.” Regardless of the audit, I want to emphasize unequivocally that there is no illegality. We carried out the project with transparency, including accounting for all public funds allocated to the National Cathedral Project.”
“We have said it before and will say it again: there is no criminality in the National Cathedral Project.” We have accounted for every money handed to us by the state and contributors. This accounting has been provided to Parliament; it is occasionally abused, but we have submitted everything to Parliament.”
Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah also stated that, despite a temporary building halt, the National Cathedral project is still on track.
He indicated that efforts are being made to obtain historical objects for the cathedral’s museum and grounds.
“There were concerns that the project might be halted, but it was not. The National Cathedral’s construction has halted, but it is almost an institution; it will be one of the largest institutions, thus work continues on a daily basis. In addition to finance, we are already in contact with people who can supply us with artifacts. Because you need historical relics to transform it into a world-class site,” the Executive Director of the National Cathedral Secretariat assured.
The cathedral’s construction has been heavily criticized by the public, with some claiming that the government has not been transparent in disclosing the monies given for the facility’s construction.
