Story Highlights
- The OSP said Friday it has opened a preliminary probe into a memo attributed to Asokwa MP Patricia Appiagyei, addressed to Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh.
- The memo alleges Appiagyei returned GH¢70,000 presented to her as an advance from the Majority Chief Whip, linked to Appointments Committee vetting activity.
- The Minority Caucus has dismissed the document as fake; Second Deputy Minority Whip Jerry Ahmed Shaib called it fabricated.
- The OSP says the document’s contents carry “the hallmarks of extortion” of nominees and has invited Appiagyei to assist with inquiries.
- ACEPA has called for a separate, independent parliamentary investigation into whether such payments reflect a wider practice.
Accra, Ghana — The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has commenced a preliminary investigation into an alleged GH¢70,000 payment reportedly connected to Parliament’s vetting of ministerial and Supreme Court nominees, following the circulation of a disputed memorandum attributed to Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei.
The controversy centers on a memorandum dated September 2 and addressed to Annoh-Dompreh, the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP, in which Ms. Appiagyei purportedly stated she was returning GH¢70,000 given to her as an advance from the Majority Chief Whip.
The document ties the payment to the Appointments Committee’s vetting of two ministerial nominees and three Supreme Court nominees, and states that Ms. Appiagyei did not know the source of the money and did not wish to be seen as extorting the nominees.
Multiple Ghanaian outlets reported the memo’s contents Friday morning, framing it as Ms. Appiagyei’s account of declining the payment on ethical grounds.
But by midday, the Minority Caucus had pushed back. Second Deputy Minority Whip Jerry Ahmed Shaib dismissed the claim that Ms. Appiagyei had returned any such sum, describing the circulating document as fake.
Ms. Appiagyei herself has also disputed the memo’s authenticity in comments to at least one outlet.
The OSP’s Statement
In a statement issued Friday, the OSP said the contents of the document — regardless of its disputed origin — raised sufficient concern to warrant scrutiny.
“Taking into consideration the content of the document to the effect that Hon. Patricia Appiagyei purportedly cast doubt on the source of the alleged funds and that it had the hallmarks of extortion of the nominees, the OSP has commenced a preliminary investigation into the veracity of the document, the source of the alleged funds, and the purpose of the alleged funds,” the statement said.
The anti-corruption body said it has dispatched a formal invitation to Appiagyei to appear and assist investigators. The OSP framed its inquiry around three questions: whether the memorandum is genuine, where the alleged GH¢70,000 originated, and what the money was intended to achieve.
The office added that it is separately and actively investigating extortion allegations involving other Members of Parliament.
The dispute over the document’s authenticity is now central to the OSP’s work. Investigators must first establish whether the memo Ms. Appiagyei allegedly wrote exists in the form being circulated before they can pursue the underlying financial questions it raises.
A Vetting Process Under Strain
The allegations emerge against the backdrop of an already contentious vetting process. The Minority Caucus walked out of Appointments Committee proceedings on August 27, protesting what it called a rushed and compressed timetable for vetting the Supreme Court nominees.
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin argued the process denied Parliament sufficient time for scrutiny and public participation, raising nine procedural objections before leading Minority members out of the room.
Committee Chairperson Bernard Ahiafor rejected the objections as “flimsy” and “hollow,” and declined to alter the schedule set by the full House, telling members any grievance should be pursued through Parliament’s Standing Orders rather than a walkout.
It was against this backdrop that reports of the GH¢70,000 memo surfaced Friday morning, adding a financial dimension to a process already marked by procedural conflict.
Calls for a Wider Inquiry
The Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) has called for an independent investigation separate from the OSP’s probe. Executive Director Dr. Rasheed Draman said Parliament itself should determine whether the alleged payment reflects an isolated incident or a broader practice within its committees.
He suggested Parliament could establish an ad hoc committee, potentially supported by eminent Ghanaians without direct interest in the matter, to examine the issue.
The episode has renewed scrutiny of the financial arrangements surrounding the Appointments Committee, a constitutionally significant body responsible for vetting nominees to ministerial posts and the Supreme Court bench.
The allegations have raised broader questions about whether committee members receive money connected to the vetting process, and if so, from what source and for what purpose.
This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
