Minister of Energy, John Jinapor
Minister of Energy, John Jinapor, has recounted a harrowing experience he endured when a team of AK-47-wielding National Security operatives stormed his residence after he left office as minister under the Mahama presidency.
Sharing his experience on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, while commenting on a raid on the home of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, Jinapor stated:
“On that fateful day, when my house was raided by AK-47-wielding National Security operatives, they banged on my door, creating fear and panic, sending my six-year-old child into a state of hysteria. We had members here who never commented on it.”
“…When they took my laptops, it got to a point they couldn’t open my iPhones. I told them I was willing to come and do it with my fingerprint. It was then and there that they told me that the phones have been taken to the United Kingdom.”
He singled out the then Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Prof. Mike Oquaye, for praise for condemning the state-sponsored raid on him.
“I commend Prof. Mike Oquaye for standing up on that day and ruling that what they [National Security operatives] were doing was wrong. Mr. Speaker, they took my phone and laptops to the United Kingdom to investigate me. Today, a very simple matter, and you are scared of it?”
A heated exchange ensued between the Majority and Minority sides of Parliament over the alleged raid on the private residence of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta by men dressed in military attire.
During proceedings on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, the Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Habib Iddrisu, sought to raise the matter on the floor, describing it as an urgent issue of public interest. His attempt to raise the matter, invoking Order 93 (1) of the Standing Orders of Parliament, was met with jeering and booing from the Majority side of the House.
Amidst the shouts and banging of tables from the Majority side, the Deputy Minority Whip emphasized that the alleged raid on the residence of Ken Ofori-Atta, along with similar incidents reported following the change in government, were wrong and undermined the democratic rights of politically exposed persons, such as the former Finance Minister.
In response, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, demanded that the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, who was presiding, direct that the Deputy Whip’s submission be expunged from the records of Parliament.
According to the Majority Leader, the invocation of Order 93 (1) by the Deputy Minority Chief Whip in support of his submission was incorrect.
This led to a back-and-forth exchange of legal arguments between the two sides of the House.
Some MPs from the Majority Caucus also pointed out similar raids suffered by former officials who served in past NDC governments under an NPP government.
Meanwhile, the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, declared former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta a wanted fugitive, claiming that the former minister had absconded from Ghana in an attempt to evade investigation into alleged corruption cases.
“The OSP declares Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta a wanted fugitive. Mr. Ofori-Atta, you have two choices: you can return to the jurisdiction voluntarily or face the consequences,” he stated.
OSP declares Ken Ofori-Atta wanted: John Jinapor asks the Minority if they were afraid of such a simple matter as declaring Ken Ofori-Atta wanted, comparing it to his own ordeal in 2017.#JoyNews pic.twitter.com/79oVkQ7Vf7
— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) February 12, 2025
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