The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has said that the Member of Parliament for Asante Akim North, Kwame Andy Appiah-Kubi, was hostile towards officers who investigated the allegation he made that a businessman attempted to bribe some lawmakers.
The OSP in its first half-year report for 2023 recorded that Mr. Appiah-Kubi’s interview was the first in time.
The lawmaker had stated outrightly that a certain well-known wealthy Ghanaian businessman visited Parliament House on 1 October 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 Mr. Ofori-Atta.
He further stated that the Members of Parliament stood their ground and rejected the offer of money. Mr. Appiah-Kubi did not disclose the identity of the well-known wealthy businessman during the interview.
The OSP in its report said “Mr. Appiah-Kubi refused to disclose the identities of the Members of Parliament present at the meeting with the undisclosed businessman. He refused to disclose the identity of the wealthy businessman. He refused to disclose the amount of money offered by the undisclosed businessman. He refused to answer all other questions posed to him. He showed open hostility to the authorised officers of the Office and he was unyielding in his resolve not to cooperate with the investigation. Indeed, he flatly refused to cooperate with the Office, though he had stated that he would fully cooperate with the investigation, and though he declared to the media subsequent to the Office’s interview that he fully cooperated with the Office.”
The Special Prosecutor (SP) directed the closure of investigations into allegations that were made by Appiah-Kubi. The lawmaker had alleged that 80 Members of Parliament of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) received bribe from an unnamed businessman to back down on their demand for the resignation of Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to Mr Kissi Agyebeng, proceeding with investigations will not yield the desired results.
“…the Special Prosecutor directs the closure of the investigation
in respect of allegations that a well-known and wealthy businessman attempted
to bribe a section of the majority caucus of Parliament. The Special Prosecutor
determines that the institution of criminal proceedings, at this time, against the
OSP’s identified suspect would serve no useful purpose,” a report dated December 28 sighted by 3News.com indicated.
The SP stated that, “The investigation may be re-opened should the circumstances and further facts so dictate.”
“This report is founded on regulation 31(1)(g) of the Office of the Special
Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (L.I. 2374), which mandates the OSP
to publish detected acts of corruption through the receipt, collection, or collation
of reports, documents, materials, complaints, allegations, information and
intelligence,” he wrote.
The Member of Parliament subsequently, revealed that he promised not to disclose the identity of the businessman.
He said his only interest in making the public statement about the attempted bribery was to send a clear message to the businessman and others that lawmakers could not be bought.
“I made a promise to him not to disclose his identity,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, January 6.
He further indicated that officials of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) who interrogated him on the bribery allegation were unethical in their approach.
He said the officials fought him and ordered him to listen to an interview he granted Joy FM, during the investigation in Parliament, an action he considered unethical.
“The OSP officials started fighting me, so I decided to remain silent. They had already come to me with a hostile attitude even in the precincts of Parliament, and they asked the other MPs who came to leave.
“The OSP officials did not understand the ethics of the profession, that you need to show courtesy to everyone who comes before you,” he added.
“This intimidatory approach and the disrespect to the other MPs who were asked to leave was not helpful,” he stressed.
He added “The OSP officials did not understand the ethics of the profession that you need to show courtesy to everyone who comes before you.
By Laud Nartey
