The National Cathedral of Ghana has accused the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, of engaging in “reckless” populism.
According to the Secretariat, the Legislator was also damaging people’s reputations, while misinforming the public.
The North Tongu MP had issued what he termed as five bombshells about the National Cathedral in the United States.
He had alleged that the Cathedral project was registered in Washington, fraudulent documents, and under a different name. He also claimed that no member or clergymen on the Ghana Board of Trustees was listed in the US incorporation documents.
He further raised concerns about the identity of two unknown men in the US incorporation documents, and that an American consultant had been paid $6 million.
However, a statement signed by the Executive Director, National Cathedral, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, refuted all the allegation and insisted the National Cathedral Project had been implemented with “integrity and with no criminality.”
He continued that “as with the recklessly-populist and reputationally-damaging accusations of the McCarthy era in the USA, the misinformation and distortions on the National Cathedral project will – ultimately – unravel!”
Responding to the first reported bombshell, Mr. Opoku-Mensah said that, for the record, the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation Incorporation, was not the USA branch office of what is in Ghana.
Rather, it was a “special-purpose ‘vehicle’ created for the specificities of the US fundraising needs of the National Cathedral project.”
On the second bombshell on the address of the US registration documents being fraudulent, the press release described it as unfortunate, explaining that the allegation stemmed from a basic, but fundamental, lack of knowledge of the US nonprofit sector. It added that a nonprofit organisation needed a registered agent in the State of the registration.
“That is why on the incorporation document, it is referred to as “Registered Agents name and address in the District Columbia.”
According to the statement, the DC address was a holding address, which receives notices from the regulatory authorities and forwards them to the nonprofit firm.
The National Cathedral responded to the next allegation, to the effect that no member or clergymen on the Ghana Board of Trustees was listed in the US incorporation documents, saying that the current Board was an interim one set up by the Secretariat and its US consultant, for registration purposes.
The release recapped for emphasis that the National Cathedral’s US tax exempt (501© (3) foundation – The National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation Incorporation was a special-purpose “vehicle” set up primarily for fundraising.
The statement continued that “A full US Board will be constituted later by the Board in Ghana to align with the January 6, 2022 opinion of the Attorney General on the legal status of the National Cathedral project. And this fully constituted Board may include clergy. This is a decision for the Ghana Board.”
The fourth Okudzeto allegation was the identity of two unknown men in the US incorporation
documents.
In its response, the National Cathedral, Ghana said the incorporation documents were public documents, hence, the identities of those behind the registration of the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation Incorporation could not be secret.
The statement also said these are two “well-placed” Ghanaians in the USA, who had shown
commitment to the National Cathedral project since its beginning.
The statement indicated that it was because of their early and consistent commitment to the National Cathedral Project that the Secretariat – and not the government – suggested they be used to incorporate the Foundation; one of the requirements for the incorporation was to have a US social security number.
“The two alleged faceless individuals provided the needed legal documentation to enable the registration to be completed. Finally, these two are involved voluntarily, with no compensation whatsoever. These are dedicated sons of Ghana offering to serve their country whenever possible. To impugnmalfeasance and question their integrity is extremely irresponsible.”
On the last accusation on the payment of some $6 million, the National Cathedral said that “no such amount has been paid to Cary Summers.”
The statement explained that the bulk of its expenditure in the US had been to consulting companies which had developed the National Cathedral’s Bible Museum of Africa. The statement further said the total fees paid for consultancy services was less than a million dollars.
Meanwhile, the handlers of the project are not perturbed about the brouhaha surrounding the work. They are aware that the best defense of the National Cathedral project was its
completion for the nation to see its scope and benefits.
