Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has called on the Special Prosecutor to expedite investigations into allegations of a GH¢70,000 payment to Deputy Minority Leader and Asokwa MP Patricia Appiagyei for the vetting of ministerial and Supreme Court nominees.
The alleged payment is said to have been offered to Deputy Minority Leader and Asokwa MP Patricia Appiagyei in connection with the work of Parliament’s Appointments Committee.
In a statement issued by Parliament on Saturday, September 5, Mr Bagbin said the allegations required thorough scrutiny, particularly because they concerned a purported payment connected to the work of a 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,” Parliament said.
The Speaker said the investigation should establish not only whether the alleged payment was made but also whether the memorandum at the centre of the controversy is 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,” the statement said.
Mr Bagbin further called for additional investigations if the disputed document is found to have been fabricated or falsely attributed to the Deputy Minority Leader.
“Should the investigations establish that the memorandum is fabricated or was falsely attributed to the Deputy Minority Leader, the Rt. Hon. Speaker considers it imperative that the matter does not end with that finding,” he said.
He called for the involvement of the Cyber Security Authority and other relevant law enforcement agencies to identify those behind any alleged fabrication and, where evidence supports it, ensure that they face the appropriate legal consequences.
The controversy follows the circulation of a purported memorandum allegedly authored by Mrs Appiagyei and addressed to Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh.
The document reportedly claimed that Mrs Appiagyei had returned GH¢70,000 allegedly given to her as an advance in connection with the vetting exercise.
Mrs Appiagyei has denied receiving or returning the alleged payment, describing the claims as false and the memorandum as fabricated.
The OSP has since commenced preliminary investigations to establish the veracity, source and circumstances surrounding the alleged payment and the disputed document.
Pending the outcome of the investigation, Parliament has urged the public and the media to exercise restraint by refraining from further circulation of the disputed memorandum or drawing conclusions about the allegations before the facts are established.
Mr Bagbin has meanwhile reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the integrity of its processes, particularly the work of the Appointments Committee.
He stressed that the matter must ultimately be resolved on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law.
