The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has said it is confident that allegations made by two lawmakers from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) concerning an attempt by a wealthy businessman to bribe some MPs in Parliament is true.
A statement issued by the OSP Thursday, December 28, 2023 indicates that the Members of Parliament who were approached by the supposed businessman rejected the offer.
“It appears from the OSP’s gathered intelligence that a wealthy businessman did in fact attempt to offer money to a section of the majority caucus of Parliament with the intention of influencing their demand for the resignation or removal of Mr. Ofori-Atta as Minister for Finance. It also appears that the monetary offer was rejected by the contacted Members of Parliament,” the statement indicated.
Meanwhile, the OSP has said its finding could not lay hold on any concrete evidence to prosecute the persons involved.
“The circumstances of the case are such that the cooperation and testimony of the accuser of the well-known wealthy businessman are essential to a successful prosecution. That is to say, in the context of this case, the gathered intelligence of the OSP and its investigation of the activities of its identified suspect, Mr. XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX, are not sufficient to sustain criminal charges.
“The institution of criminal proceedings would of necessity require the input and testimony of the accuser. This is because, the meeting occurred between the accuser and his undisclosed colleagues and the suspect and whatever transpired therein is known only to the accuser and his undisclosed colleagues and the suspect. The events must be recounted by the attendees of the meeting if criminal charges are to be sustained. This is even more so as, naturally, it appears there is no record of the meeting,” the statement signed by William Kissi Agyebeng, the Special Prosecutor, stated in some parts.
Background
Pressure group, OccupyGhana, petitioned the OSP on November 3, 2022, to investigate allegations of attempted bribery of the Majority caucus of Parliament by a wealthy businessman.
OccupyGhana stated in its petition that the call followed media reports from interviews by Accra-based Joy FM with the Member of Parliament for Suame and Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi alleging that an unnamed, wealthy businessman had attempted to bribe a section of the majority caucus of Parliament.
The petition added that the allegation was first made by Mr. Appiah-Kubi who said the well-known wealthy Ghanaian businessman visited Parliament House on October 1, 2022 and requested a meeting with a section of NPP Members of Parliament. He stated that at the meeting, the well-known wealthy businessman offered them huge sums of money in envelopes with the intention of influencing them to rescind their demand for the resignation or removal of the Finance Minister, Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta.
He further stated that the Members of Parliament stood their ground and rejected the offer of money but failed to disclose the identity of the well-known wealthy businessman during the interview.
Read the OSP’s full report here.
