A North Tongu member of parliament (MP), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has expanded on his concerns regarding the National Cathedral project.
In his latest communication, Mr. Ablakwa has presented evidence of alleged irregularities in the incorporation documents for the project’s fundraising. The MP claimed on May 4 that the project had been compromised by criminal activity, and to support his claim, he released many documents on Facebook.
According to his evidence, the National Cathedral of Ghana registered a subsidiary in Washington, using a different name and “governors”. Furthermore, according to the documents that Mr. Ablakwa provided, the US National Cathedral’s fundraising division used the details of a deceased person.
Thus, the National Cathedral project has come under increased scrutiny from the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Dead Man’s Land
In a stunning revelation, Ablakwa has claimed that the American fundraising wing of the National Cathedral project was registered using the details of a deceased Hispanic individual in March 2021.
Ablakwa has described the incorporation as a criminal act of identity theft. He claims that a letter from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) dated December 13, 2021, verifies that a deceased Jose Salgado, who passed away on September 17, 2014, is the owner of the Employer ID Number used by the National Cathedral of Ghana.
This latest revelation has raised even more concerns about the transparency and legitimacy of the National Cathedral project.
As a result of this information, Mr. Ablakwa has expressed skepticism about the March 2021 incorporation date, given that it conflicts with the recorded date of the death of the individual whose identity was allegedly used.
He stated that the use of the Social Security Number of a deceased young male Hispanic, who passed away nine years ago, to incorporate Ghana’s national cathedral in Washington, D.C., is clear evidence of fraud.
Sacrilege: Desecration of God’s Temple
Mr. Ablakwa has suggested that the officials responsible for the registration process were aware that the death of Jose Salgado had not yet been officially reported to all relevant US authorities, yet they decided to exploit the situation. He believes that their actions were both questionable and costly.
The North Tongu MP further noted that this revelation could lead to international embarrassment for Ghana, particularly in light of the US government’s crackdown on identity theft. In a social media post, he expressed his disbelief and outrage that incorporating a place of worship would be tainted in such a manner. “It is most unimaginable and absolutely sacrilegious that the incorporation of God’s Temple would be so desecrated,” he wrote.
“At the very least, the perpetrators should have considered the reputations of the genuine eminent priests who accepted the government’s invitation to serve on the Board of Trustees,” he remarked.
Ablakwa emphasized that the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 (ITADA) makes it a federal offence to knowingly use, without legal authorization, another person’s identification information to commit any illegal activity that violates federal law, or a felony under any state or local law, or to aid or abet such activity.
“As this international disgrace reaches a crescendo, one really wonders what else President Akufo-Addo is waiting for to dissolve the Board of Trustees, shut down the secretariat, cancel the contract, and launch a national inquiry into this appalling affair,” Ablakwa stated.
