Deputy Minority Leader and Asokwa MP Patricia Appiagyei has returned GH¢70,000 sent to her by the Majority Chief Whip, citing concerns about the source of the money and her unwillingness to personally benefit from the ongoing parliamentary vetting process.
Mrs Appiagyei disclosed the decision in a memorandum dated September 2 and addressed to Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh, with Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin copied.
In the memorandum, she instructed that the GH¢70,000, which had been allocated to her as an advance, be returned to the Majority Chief Whip.
She said she was uncomfortable accepting the money because she had not been informed about its source.
Mrs Appiagyei also stressed that she did not want to derive any personal financial benefit from the parliamentary process involving the vetting of three Supreme Court nominees.
“It is with regret that I return the amount of seventy thousand cedis (GH¢70,000.00) allocated to me as an advance of money from the Majority Chief Whip of Parliament of Ghana,” she stated.
She added that her decision was also consistent with the position adopted by the Minority Caucus over the vetting process.
The Asokwa MP further said she did not intend to seek financial gain from the proceedings involving the nominees.
Her action follows a similar decision by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who had also returned the money allocated to him.
The issue has emerged amid the Minority Caucus’ decision to boycott the vetting of three Supreme Court nominees following objections to the procedure adopted by Parliament’s Appointments Committee.
The nominees are Justice Sophia Rosetta Oduokuwa Bernasko Essah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and Justice Anthony Forson Jnr.
Minority members walked out of the committee’s proceedings on August 27, arguing that they had not been given sufficient notice to participate in the vetting.
Mr Afenyo-Markin had challenged the procedure, insisting that the committee had departed from established parliamentary practice on the notice period required for such proceedings.
He argued that members of Parliament should receive adequate notice before nominees are vetted, citing the Minority’s position that the standard practice is to provide 14 days’ notice and advertise the exercise in newspapers.
The Minority Leader maintained that the objection was not directed at the qualifications or suitability of the three nominees but at the procedure adopted by the Appointments Committee.
The return of the GH¢70,000 by Mrs Appiagyei has consequently added a financial dimension to the Minority’s protest, as she distances herself from any personal benefit associated with the disputed vetting process.
