K. T. Hammond, a former Minister for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, has boldly stated that the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, and Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, the Auditor-General of Ghana, cannot tarnish his reputation by dragging him into the alleged GH¢89m scandal.
According to him, both the Minister of Finance and the Auditor-General should be prepared to face him in court over the matter, and demanded an apology from the two for false publications about him.
K. T. Hammond stressed that he would not hesitate to sue them for unlawful publication and for damaging his reputation.
The former lawmaker detailed that as a minister, he was only responsible for signing cheques, stating that he had no idea about the alleged GH¢89m scandal.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM on March 16, 2026, K. T. Hammond stated, “I am suing them for using my name in this manner. They owe me an apology, and this matter must be retracted from Parliament, with the necessary corrections made so that my name can be cleared.
“I have no idea about this because, as a minister, I was only responsible for signing cheques. If there is someone else behind this, we all have our names, so they should check properly. But if they claim the statement that was made is fictitious, then I will sue them,” he added.
K. T. Hammond added, “Tell the Finance Minister, the Auditor-General, and even the accounting company and some specific banks whose names were mentioned to meet me in court, because they cannot tarnish my reputation like that. I have served in Parliament for 24 years.
“I was told on Friday when someone called me and said I had been arrested over an alleged embezzlement of GH¢89 million. Meanwhile, I was never arrested,” he said.
“I am suing them for using my name in this manner. They owe me an apology, and this matter must be retracted from Parliament, with the necessary corrections made so that my name can be cleared.
“I have no idea about this because, as a minister, I was only responsible for signing cheques. If there is someone else behind this, we all have our names, so they should check properly. But if they claim the statement that was made is fictitious, then I will sue them,” he added.
His remarks come on the heels of an Audit report carried out on the former Akufo-Addo government’s flagship One District One Factory (1DIF) programme has revealed shocking financial misappropriation.
The audit report produced by the Ghana Audit Service in partnership with EY and PwC showed that millions of state funds were almost stolen under the One-District One-Factory (1DIF).
On Monday, March 10, 2026, the findings presented to the Parliament of Ghana were delivered by Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem on behalf of Cassiel Ato Forson.
According to the audit report, the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 2024 requested the release of GH¢89.4 million to five commercial banks as the government’s contribution toward interest; however, all five institutions reportedly denied being owed any money by the government.
The Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem detailed, “The then Ministry of Trade and Industry in 2024 submitted a request of GH¢89.4 million to the Ministry of Finance to be transferred to five commercial banks as a government contribution to interest payments under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative. The Ministry of Finance subsequently processed the same to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department for payment.
“This particular request was part of BTAs sitting at the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, awaiting cash for payment. When auditors contacted these five banks to confirm the liability, every single one of them denied being owed any amount by the government under the said arrangement. According to the auditors, the said GH¢89.4 million debt was fictitious. Without the audit intervention, a whopping GH¢89.4 million of hard-earned public money could have been disbursed to settle this non-existent liability,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Mahama government has since announced plans to subject the Akufo-Addo government’s entire One District One Factory programme to a full forensic audit.
Watch the video below:
The finance minister and the Auditor-General should be ready to face me in court over the Auditor-General’s report implicating me for wrongful transactions. They don't know who they are joking with. Do they know what a fictitious contract or transaction is-K. T. Hammond, Former… pic.twitter.com/OzXn1mjws2
— Prime Rakon (@prime_rakon) March 16, 2026