MP Hauls Appiah-Ofori To Court Over $5,000 Bribery Allegation

The rumpus generated by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa Hon. P.C. Appiah Ofori�s comments, that some NPP MPs took a bribe of $5,000 before okaying the GT/Vodafone deal, seems not likely to die now, following a decision by a colleague MP to sue Hon. Appiah Ofori for defamation of character. NPP MP for Bosomtwe Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Simon Osei says he is hauling the anti-corruption campaigner to court for accusing him and several others, albeit implicitly, of having their palms greased with an amount of $5,000. Speaking to Peace News on Thursday, October 08, 2009, Hon. Simon Osei stoked the bribery allegation embers when he said �by disgracing NPP MPs, he will not be allowed to go scot free without substantiating the allegation in a court of law.� ��Since entering Parliament in 7th January, 2005, I have not received any bribe from anyone, much more accepting bribe in dollars�the only time I accepted monies in dollars was when I was given my travelling allowances and per diem,...so there is no way I could have been paid $5,000 by Vodafone officials to vote in their favour,� he charged. It would be recalled that Hon. P.C. Appiah, in an earlier interview on PEACEFM, indicated that he has a �list of all the MPs who received the $5,000� bribe. He also insisted in that same interview that the NPP MPs were bribed in dollars and not in cedis. For now, it remains to be seen whether the Bosomtwe MP, Hon. Simon Osei, will make good his words and drag his party member to court, and whether the anti-corruption campaigner, Hon. P.C Appiah-Ofori will also spills the beans which he claims �could collapse the party� by making public, the names of the NPP MPs who had their palms oiled in the sale of 70% GT shares to Vodafone.