Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has called on the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to expedite investigations into allegations of a GH¢70,000 payment to Madam Patricia Appiagyei, the Deputy Minority Leader.
The alleged payment was said to be connected to the work of Parliament’s Appointments Committee in vetting ministerial and Supreme Court nominees.
In a statement issued by Parliament on Saturday, it said, “the allegations required thorough scrutiny given that they touch on the integrity of a key parliamentary committee.”
“The Rt. Hon. Speaker welcomes any lawful investigation directed at establishing the facts and urges the Office of the Special Prosecutor to pursue the matter thoroughly and expeditiously,” the statement added.
At the center of the controversy is a purported memorandum allegedly authored by Madam Appiagyei, also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa, and addressed to Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Minority Chief Whip, in which it said the MP had returned the GH¢70,000 allegedly given to her as an advance for the vetting exercise.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minority Leader has denied the allegation, describing the claims as false and the memorandum as fabricated in a statement issued on Friday.
According to the statement, Speaker Bagbin said the investigation must establish not only whether the alleged payment was made but also whether the memorandum in circulation was authentic.
“Parliament wishes to state that it has not independently verified the authenticity of the memorandum and will therefore not, at this stage, make any determination as to the truth or otherwise of the competing claims,” it stated.
It directed that if investigations established that the document was fabricated or falsely attributed to the Deputy Minority Leader, additional action must be taken.
“Should the investigations establish that the memorandum is fabricated or was falsely attributed to the Deputy Minority Leader, the Speaker considers it imperative that the matter does not end with that finding,” it said.
In that event, it called for the involvement of the Cyber Security Authority and other relevant law enforcement agencies to identify those behind the alleged fabrication and ensure they face appropriate legal consequences where evidence supports it.
It urged the public and the media to exercise restraint and refrain from further circulation of the disputed memorandum or drawing conclusions until the facts are established.
It also reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and the integrity of its processes, particularly the work of the Appointments Committee, stressing that the matter must be resolved on the basis of evidence and in accordance with law.
The OSP has commenced preliminary investigations to establish the veracity, source, and circumstances surrounding the alleged payment and the disputed document.
GNA
