The attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has been drawn to a statement authored by Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu, which claims that the cost of the 100-year-old 6-bedroom house in Oslo, being considered for use as Ghana’s chancery, was inflated1. Ablakwa alleged that the property was initially purchased by a certain woman for US$2.9 million in 2014 and later sold to an unknown buyer for US$3.5 million in August 2017.
In response, the Ministry categorically refutes these claims and provides the following facts:
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not signed any agreement to purchase the said properties (the Chancery and the Ambassador’s Residence).
- The Ministry expressed interest in two properties in Oslo and, in accordance with the Public Procurement Act, commenced due diligence on the properties with the assistance of a property valuer and a reputable lawyer specializing in property acquisition for diplomatic missions.
- As of now, the Ministry has not entered into any binding agreement with the owners of the properties.
- No payment has been made towards the purchase of the properties, ensuring that there has been no financial loss to the State.
- The Ministry strongly rejects the unfounded claims made by the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, and a section of the Minority, which seek to give the erroneous impression that the Ministry engaged in fraudulent transactions with the property owners.
- Such uninformed allegations and hasty judgments involving a Diplomatic Mission could damage not only the image of the country but also jeopardize relations between Ghana and Norway.
