By William
Yaw Owusu
Wednesday
April 25, 2018
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the
Ghana Police Service has interrogated four more former ministers in the
erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) government headed by John Dramani Mahama.
The former ministers, who were/are Members of
Parliament (MPs), have been caught in the ongoing double salary scandal.
Three of them, including Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye,
former Minister of Youth and Sports, who doubles as the current opposition NDC
MP for Odododiodioo Constituency and Alhassan Azong, former minister of state in
charge of Public Sector Reforms and former People's National Convention (PNC) MP
for Builsa South, were grilled by the CID yesterday.
As at press time, another ex-minister believed to be
Alex Segbefia, former Minister of Health whose name was not readily available,
was being interrogated by the police. It is not clear if Mr Segbefia was
representing a client since he was not an MP, and so could not have drawn
double salary. He had earlier represented some of the suspects at the CID
headdquarters.
On Friday, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, who served
as Deputy Attorney General under President John Mahama, was also at the CID headquarters
to be interrogated.
When the scandal broke, Nii Lante Vanderpuye told Hot FM, Citi FM, among others, that he
had not been invited by the police, claiming that DAILY GUIDE was defaming
him. He threatened to sue the paper if an apology was not rendered.
But yesterday, DAILY GUIDE learnt that he was at
the CID headquarters where he was granted police enquiry bail.
Bagbin
Invitation
The 2nd deputy speaker of parliament, Alban
Kingsford Sumani Bagbin, who doubles as NDC MP for Nadowli Kaleo in the Upper
West Region, was expected to appear before the CID on Monday in connection with
the ongoing probe. But there was no information as to whether he honoured the invitation.
A number of ministers
and deputy ministers who served under then President John Dramani Mahama and
his NDC government (2012- 2016) are being investigated by the police for allegedly
collecting double salaries - some for about four years.
Top-Up
Alibi
Some NDC elements after cynically claiming that the
New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is witch-hunting them through the police, are
now admitting that indeed, the double salary claim happened.
However, they are now pushing the argument that it
was a ‘top-up’ for the affected ministers and not the actual monthly salaries
as being claimed by their political opponents.
It emerged that some of those who were MPs and were
appointed as ministers at the same time by President Mahama, were supposed to
take one salary for the double jobs, but they allegedly drew salaries as MPs
and again as ministers every month, in a clear breach of the law.
Official
Charge
According to the police, the alleged double salaries
saga “is contrary to Section 124 (1) of the Criminal and other Offences Act
1960 (Act 29) as amended in 2012 (Act 849).
Section 124 relates to the offence of stealing.”
Dramatic
Twist
The scandal took a dramatic twist when Special
Prosecutor Martin A.B.K. Amidu waded into the debate and appeared to give tacit
endorsement of the move by the police to prosecute the former appointees who
might be involved.
Mr. Amidu, a former Attorney General, said on Citi FM last Thursday that if his former
colleagues are found to have fallen foul of the law, they should not go
unpunished.
“Indeed, that (double salary), is an offence of
abuse of office for private gain,” he said without mincing words, before
revealing that he also received double payment when he served as a minister
during the NDC regime but added that he returned the excess money to the
government chest.
Police
Invitation
Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, former Minister of Transport and
MP for Ketu South; Abdul Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, former minister of state at the
presidency and MP for Wa Central and Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, ex-Central
Regional Minister and former MP for Mfantseman West, have all been interrogated
by the police over the scandal.
Before then, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for
Ellembelle and former Minister of Energy and Petroleum and Nii Laryea Afotey
Agbo, MP for Kpone Katamanso who was the former Greater Accra Regional
Minister, had also been interrogated and granted self enquiry bails.
Also, a certain Bashir Fuseini Alhassan, who is
believed to be ABA Fuseini, NDC MP for Sagnerigu and former deputy minister for
the Northern Region, was there to write a statement before being admitted to
bail.
Three other former appointees - minister of state in-charge
of Social and Allied Institutions, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah, who is MP for
Ada East; second deputy minority chief whip, Eric Opoku, MP for Asunafo South
and former Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister and Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, MP for
Tamale Central and ex-Minister of Roads and Highways, were also grilled.
They were all
reportedly cautioned with a charge of stealing and are to reappear before the
CID in May.
They have been
appearing before the police with their lawyers and are all on bail.
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