Private legal practitioner, Martin Luther Kpebu, has said he would be surprised if Andy Appiah-Kubi does not respond to the allegations being made in the report of the OSP concerning the attempt by a business mogul to influence some MPs with money to abandon a cause they were championing.
Despite the Asante Akyim North lawmaker not being without blemish, Mr. Kpebu says his silence over the report will dent his reputation.
Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North had alleged in a radio interview that when he led a call in the Majority caucus to get the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to resign or be sacked, a businessman approached them with money to back down on their demands.
The issue which prompted a probe by the OSP invited those involved in the matter including the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who joined Mr. Appiah-Kubi in his allegations later.
According to the OSP, indeed there was such an attempt as the MP indicated, however, he failed to name the person involved, crippling the OSP with hardcore evidence to make criminal charges.
Reacting to the issue on Ghana Tonight Wednesday, January 03, 2024, Martin Kpebu said the matter is still unfolding and cannot make any conclusive deductions from it. He, therefore, expects Mr. Appiah-Kubi to respond to the issue to clear his name.
For the allegations made by the lawmaker, Mr. Kpebu said it would dent his reputation should he fail to respond to make things clearer despite the charge he led which to Ghana’s democracy, is historic.
“At this stage, this story is still very fluid, you know how very sensitive this matter is, it keeps changing by the hour, so at this stage, I am not able to conclude. Mr Appiah-Kubi is an astute lawyer and we are yet to hear from him so it will be hard for me to conclude based on the OSP’s report.
“I will be very surprised that after making all these allegations it turns out that he is not cooperative. That is why I want to hold my horses till Mr Appiah-Kubi is interviewed then we can juxtapose his responses with those of the OSP and then come to a conclusion.
“I am not saying Appiah-Kubi is a saint, but it will cast a slur on his reputation if he doesn’t respond,” the lawyer, Martin Kpebu, stated.
Background
The Special Prosecutor (SP) has directed the closure of investigations into allegations that was made by Mr. Appiah-Kubi. According to William Kissi Agyebeng, the Special Prosecutor, proceeding with investigations will not yield the desired results.
A report by the OSP dated Thursday, December 28, 2023 said in parts that, “…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.”
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.
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