The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Sagnarigu Mr, A.B.A. Fuseini has said the double salary allegation made against some NDC lawmakers is red herring.
He said that allegation was just an attempt to smear appointees of the Mahama administration.
Speaking exclusively to TV3’s Komla Kluste in Parliament on Tuesday May 25, he challenged persons making the claim to name the Members of Parliament who allegedly engaged in the double salary act.
His comments come after Former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has alleged President Akufo-Addo stood in the way of the former Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo and stopped her from bringing criminal charges against Members of Parliament (MPs) who were alleged to have been involved in the infamous double-salary scandal.
The citizen vigilante claims the action of the president i the matter was for “political expediency”. In his latest epistle which reports to a media report that he took over the prosecution of the scandal but did nothing before resigning his post, the Mr. Amidu refuted the claims, counterclaiming it was the interference of the president that foiled prosecutions.
“The credible information I received on the case is and was that the then Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions had both perused the case docket and had come to the conclusion that charges be filed against some of the suspects for prosecution. The Attorney General was instructed not to do so by the President who unconstitutionally usurped the investigatory and prosecutorial constitutional authority of the Attorney General on grounds of political expediency of having the suspects agreeable to play ball in Parliament for the Government”, he said.
He also alleged that President Akufo-Addo used the scandal together and other criminal cases to negotiate a deal with the NDC for his ministerial appointees to be approved en mass, including those who were required to give further and better particulars before approval. This negotiation he alleged was led by an NDC former Finance Minister.
“The statement attributed to the Office of the Attorney General about recently resuming “working on establishing a prima facie case against the ex-appointees and then swing into action” cannot also be reflecting any factual truth because of negotiations led by one of the former Ministers of Finance of the NDC on behalf of this Government which resulted in the NDC party outside Parliament instructing the NDC in Parliament to approve all the Ministerial nominees of the Government including the Minister who was yet to supply further and better particulars to the appointments committee for consideration before his approval or disapproval by the Committee and by Parliament”.
He further claimed that parts of the negotiation led “to some NDC contractors being paid for the first time for work done prior to 7th January 2017 before the ministerial approvals were made as a show of good faith to the NDC…”
But responding to this development, Mr Fuseini said “I have waited for an opportunity to come back and clarify and let everybody know that we are men and women of integrity that nobody can hang this on us. As far as I am concerned this issue of double salary was red herring and I don’t think it is a matter that could hang us on.
“It was just the issues of corruption thrown about just in attempt to get President Mahama’s appointees and hang something around the neck of the government. For four years I thought if there was any issue like that it should have been handled. Who has sat down to reach an agreement? I don’t think so. Name those who reach the agreement.
“If you think that somebody is complicit in an act of corruption name the person. Can a whole political party be corrupt? Can a whole government be corrupt? So if there are some individuals and you think they have engaged in acts of corruption name them and name the acts of corruption they have engaged in so this country will take the requisite actions to deal with those who are complicit.”
By Laud Narteyt|3news.com|Ghana