Pressure group, OccupyGhana wants to trigger sections of the 1992 Constitution that would compel the Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim North, Andy Appiah-Kubi, to reveal the identity of the businessman who allegedly attempted to bribe the majority caucus in parliament.
OccupyGhana in a statement said it is seeking legal advice on its move to get the legislator to publicly name the supposed wealthy businessman.
This, it believes, would enable the Office of the Special Prosecutor to revive its investigations into the matter.
According to the OSP, it was compelled to bring the probe to an end because the main accuser in the case, Mr. Andy Appiah Kubi has not been cooperative.
The press release by Occupy Ghana, dated January 5, 2024, stated, “But we are not done yet. We have instructed our lawyers to advise whether we and Ghanaians have the constitutional right to information, to the name of the businessman, which the OSP inexplicably redacted from the report.
“If we receive advice that we are entitled to that information, we will commence the relevant proceedings under the Right to Information Act to compel the OSP to reveal the name.”
Meanwhile, the MP for Asante-Akim North on Saturday said he has made a promise to the businessman that he would not make his name public.
The MP insisted that indeed the attempted bribe took place but “I made a promise to him [the businessman] that I’m not going to disclose your identity to the public. Go and sin no more.”
Read also: I promised the businessman I won’t reveal his identity but… Appiah-Kubi on MPs bribery allegation
But OccupyGhana said it has observed that many of these allegations have been unaddressed. However, this time, it is determined to get to the roots of the matter.
“The corruption fungus abhors and cannot stand sunlight, and we will do all in our civil power to direct the power of light unto this matter. It just might produce the further evidence that the OSP requires to revive the dead,” the release read.
Read the full statement below:
OccupyGhana has read with much disappointment, the report of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (‘OSP’) on the above, dated 28 December 2023. The OSP’s investigation was triggered by our 3 November 2022 petition to that office to investigate the alleged, attempted bribery of the majority caucus of Parliament by an unnamed businessman. This was after both Andy Appiah-Kubi, MP and Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, MP, Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, had taken turns to make these allegations.
That is why we find shocking the claim by the otherwise respectable Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, MP that the only bases of his allegations, were rumours and Appiah-Kubi, MP’s allegations. We find it difficult to believe that with all the resources at his disposal, the Majority Leader and Minister would trot out and repeat allegations that he now say he did not verified either beforehand or after-the-fact.
Then there is the reported hostility by Appiah-Kubi, MP towards officers of the OSP and his flat-out refusal to cooperate with the investigation. What is even more shocking is the report that both Appiah-Kubi, MP (the accuser) and the unnamed businessman (the accused) apparently engaged in a ‘rehearsed and well-choreographed… joint and similar denial’ of the attempted bribery event.
The result is that the OSP could not obtain any prosecution-worthy evidence on yet another allegation of corruption involving Parliament, an institution which has been plagued by and dogged with several corruption allegations over the years. Although there have been no charges or prosecutions, the repeated allegations that MPs engage in various acts of corruption is not one that Ghanaians can ignore. Some derisorily, and maybe with some justification, refer to our Parliament as ‘Ghana’s leading transactional centre.’
From time to time, some MPs end up confessing that these shenanigans happen. While examples are legion, there has been one assured result – investigations lead to nothing. For example, in 2014, Alban Bagbin (then MP and now Speaker of the House) was reported to have admitted that ‘there is evidence that some MPs take bribes and come to the floor and try to articulate the views of their sponsors.’ As expected, a reported parliamentary inquiry led to nothing. In 2017, some minority MPs on the Appointments Committee, led by Mahama Ayariga, MP, reported an attempt to bribed them to approve a ministerial nominee. Another reported parliamentary enquiry led to nothing, as expected.
This time, two senior sitting MPs took turns to announce on radio that an unnamed rich businessman attempted to bribe a section of Parliament’s majority caucus. These MPs are considered as heavy-weight leaders in our politics, and the least expected of them are dignity and the courage to stand by their convictions, if they have any. They ought to be good examples for the rest of us and our children. Yet, their behaviour renders them unfit to be leaders. One would have expected them to resign in good conscience, but alas, we are stuck with such mediocrity.
As the OSP indicated in the report, the case is all but dead for lack of serious evidence to prosecute; but these ‘Honourable MPs’ (a phrase that is now generally accepted and understood as an oxymoron) will continue to occupy their seats and offices, and earn their salaries and even ex gratia, not caring about the damage they are causing to this country.
But we are not done yet. We have instructed our lawyers to advise whether we and Ghanaians have the constitutional right to information, to the name of the businessman, which the OSP inexplicably redacted from the report. If we receive advice that we are entitled to that information, we will commence the relevant proceedings under the Right to Information Act to compel the OSP to reveal the name.
Corruption, like fungi, thrives in darkness and shadows, taking advantage of secrecy, self-imposed redactions, unjustified self-censorship and lack of accountability. The corruption fungus abhors and cannot stand sunlight, and we will do all in our civil power to direct the power of light unto this matter. It just might produce further evidence that the OSP requires to revive the dead.