The Finance Ministry, faces accusations of withholding funds from Parliament, escalating financial pressures in the House as reports of excessive spending by lawmakers, including unprofitable foreign trips, continue to mount.
Sources within the legislature allege that Parliament has been grappling with a cash shortage, as the House has received allocations only for the first and second quarters of the year. Funds for the third and fourth quarters have not been disbursed, despite repeated meetings and assurances from the Finance Ministry.
The shortfall comes amid growing scrutiny over Parliament’s own spending patterns and reports that many government sectors, including private contractors, are not receiving releases from the Finance Ministry.
In the specific case of Parliament, investigations reveal that excessive spending on fuel, vehicle procurement, medical trips abroad, and visits to foreign events have contributed to the perceived financial pressure. Critics argue that such expenses have burdened the legislature’s finances and raised concerns about fiscal prudence.
The revelation of a standoff follows The Herald’s investigation into the recent decision by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, to indefinitely delay the reopening of Parliament, citing “circumstances beyond my control.”
The speaker’s stance is viewed as an effort to “blackmail” the government into releasing the funds to the House.
This paper uncovered a disturbing trail of financial irregularities within the legislative branch. Chief among these is what insiders describe as excessive expenditure by Parliament, which the Mahama administration, through the Finance Ministry, is reportedly struggling to contain.
Sources familiar with the matter told The Herald that the previous Akufo-Addo government also grappled with the ballooning expenses of the August House and frequently clashed with Speaker Bagbin over financial management issues.
Resolution often required the direct intervention of then Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, Chief of Staff Frema Opare, and President Nana Akufo-Addo himself.
Effutu MP, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who at the time served as Majority Leader, is also said to have played a mediatory role in attempts to calm tensions between the Speaker’s office and the Executive over the House’s spending.
According to parliamentary sources, the bulk of the controversial expenditure relates to procurement and foreign travel. While vehicle purchases and fuel costs remain significant, the most substantial outlays are said to stem from frequent overseas trips undertaken by Members of Parliament and the Speaker.
Medical trips abroad by the leadership, predating the current Parliament, have also emerged as a significant source of expenditure.
The Herald has learnt that Speaker Bagbin’s aborted trip to Barbados, reportedly cancelled due to a lack of funds, was the immediate catalyst for his October 6 letter announcing the postponement of Parliament’s reopening, initially scheduled for Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
Sources further revealed that some of the foreign trips funded by Parliament included individuals who were neither MPs nor parliamentary staff, but rather relatives and acquaintances of senior officials, thereby significantly inflating travel budgets.
In one instance, a foreign embassy in Accra is said to have questioned the composition of a parliamentary delegation applying for visas, after detecting irregularities in the list of travellers.
The embassy is reported to have demanded appointment letters and pay slips of all members of the delegation to confirm their official status. Following a tense exchange between the embassy and Parliament, the trip in question was eventually cancelled.
However, parliamentary leadership insists that the Ministry of Finance is primarily responsible for the current cash crunch.
Speakers and senior officials reportedly reached out to Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson for intervention, but sources claim he has recently been avoiding calls from the Speaker.
Ato Forson’s deputy and NDC MP for Asuogyaman Constituency, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, is said to have previously pledged timely disbursement, but delays in actual allocations have exacerbated Parliament’s financial distress.
A senior parliamentary source told The Herald, “We have been operating under extreme financial constraints. Despite assurances from the Finance Ministry, the allocations for the latter part of the year are yet to come through. This is making it increasingly difficult for Parliament to meet its statutory obligations.”
The unfolding situation raises serious questions about the relationship between Parliament and the executive, as well as the management of public funds within the legislature.
Analysts suggest that without swift resolution, both the Ministry and the House could face heightened public scrutiny and criticism over transparency and accountability.
In his official notice dated October 6, 2025, Mr Bagbin stated, “I, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, hereby give notice that the commencement of the Third Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic is deferred until further notice due to circumstances beyond my control.”
The notice, issued pursuant to an earlier summons dated 29 September, assured MPs and the public that a new date would be communicated once the situation had been resolved.
Two days later, on October 8, the Speaker issued another notice announcing that Parliament would reconvene on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Parliament House, Accra.
Two days after the letter announcing the postponement, Mr Bagbin issued another letter, dated October 8, 2025, stating that Parliament will now reconvene on Tuesday, October 21, at 2:00 p.m. at Parliament House, Accra, for the Third Meeting of the First Session of the 9th Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
The announcement, made pursuant to Order 58 of the Standing Orders of Parliament, officially ends the recess and signals the return of Members of Parliament (MPs) to the chamber.
“Pursuant to the notice to defer the commencement of the third meeting of the first session of the ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic dated 6th October 2025, I, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker Of Parliament, pursuant to order 58 of the standing orders of Parliament, give notice that the third meeting of the first session of the ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic shall now commence on Tuesday, 21st day of October 2025 at 1400 hours at Parliament House, Accra.
Dated in the office of the speaker of parliament, Accra. This 8th day of October, 2025”.
It remains unclear whether Finance Minister and MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam constituency, Dr Ato Forson, met with the Speaker to release funds for the House’s operations.
However, The Herald has gathered that President John Dramani Mahama may have intervened to facilitate the resolution, paving the way for the announcement of the new date.
The upcoming parliamentary session is expected to set the tone for critical legislative and oversight activities, including the consideration of committee reports and government business linked to Ghana’s economic recovery and public finance management.
Key items on the agenda include revocation of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2022 (L.I. 2462), and amendment of the Forest Bill to prohibit mining in forest reserves., Review of the Sports Development Fund; and Debate on the 2026 Budget Statement.
It is also unclear whether the long-awaited Legal Education Reform Bill, which seeks to end the Ghana School of Law’s monopoly on professional legal training, will finally be laid before the House, following Cabinet’s input.
Source: The Herald
