Cash For Seat Awards: We Will Allow Probe – Majority Leader

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Member of Parliament for Suame constituency, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu says they will allow probe into the cash-for-seat allegation leveled against the presidency.

According to him, though a presidential inquiry has vindicated the parties involved, they still do not understand why the minority was still pursuing the matter.

Speaker of Parliament Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye has set up a five-member Committee to probe the alleged sale of presidential seats to expatriates by the Trade and Industry Ministry.

The decision followed a thorough debate on the floor after an urgent motion was filed by the Minority and duly signed by 15 percent of its members who demanded a full-scale investigation into the matter.

After an earlier "procedural irregularities" in the motion, which led to the suspension of sitting, the Speaker thus granted the wish of the minority.

But speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, majority leader Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu indicated that for them as a party they are ready to go through the mill for Ghanaians to know the truth in the matter.

"But for me another probe is much ado about nothing".

The Investigative Committee will be chaired by Sunyani East MP, Kwasi Ameyaw-Kyeremeh with representation from both sides of the House.


Background

The Trade Ministry has attempted to explain the circumstances under which it was involved in raising monies for the organization of the expatriate awards ceremony last year.

Minority Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak had alleged some of the expatriates paid $100,000 in order to be given seats closer to that of the president who was scheduled to attend the awards ceremony.

The Deputy Trade and Industry Minister Carlos Ahenkorah did not deny taking the monies but said the ministry’s accounts were used to facilitate the collection of the amounts from the expatriates but the proceeds were then paid to the Millennium Excellence group, the organizers of the awards night.

His explanation did not go down well with some members of the public forcing the presidency to query the Minister of Trade of Industry to seek information on what happened.

After Alan Kyerematen's response, the presidency said there were no wrongdoing and charged the Minister to provide the public details of what actually transpired.

Even though he did, the minority in Parliament was not convinced. They filed for an urgent motion on the floor and called for a probe into the matter.