The leadership of Parliament have given their blessings for full scale investigations into the alleged double-salary payments made to former Members of Parliament (MPs) who also served as Ministers of State under the John Mahama-led administration.
Parliament, in a statement issued on April 18, 2018 and signed by its Acting Director of the Public Affairs Department, Kate Addo said: “Parliament, in an effort to enhance transparency and accountability, pledges to cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies to bring the matter to a conclusion”.
All the former government officials cited in the alleged scandal are members of the minority, prompting some of them to accuse the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of political witch-hunting and a deliberate effort to stain their reputations.
Additionally, Parliament called for calm while the matter remains under investigation.
“Parliament wishes to observe that the offence of criminality in the said matter is yet to be proven, and would therefore like to implore the police, Members of Parliament and the general public to remain calm and circumspect in their comments until the facts of the matter are determined.”
Minority spokesperson on Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, has said that the government wants to divert attention from the real issues and is using the double-salary allegations to silence its opponents.
Some former ‘MP-Ministers’ cited are Inusah Fuseini, former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources; Comfort Doyoe Ghansah, former Minister of State in charge of Social and Allied Institutions; and Eric Opoku, former Brong Ahafo Regional Minister – who all appeared before the CID last week to answer questions.
