Cash-for-seat Report: More drama as Minority boycotts debate

The Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament have boycotted the debate on the motion for the adoption of the Report of the five-member Adhoc committee for the cash-for-seat saga.

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu led his men to stage the walk out from Tuesday’s sitting after strongly protesting that their side together with others have been given a raw deal.

It all started when the Speaker allowed for the motion on the issue to be moved by the Chairman of the Adhoc Committee, Kwesi Ameyaw Cheremeh.

The motion having been moved by the Chairman was seconded by the a member of the Committee, Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah.

But the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu protested quoting Order 80 and 146 of the Standing Orders of Parliament to buttress his argument.

He told the House that the report which was laid on the floor of the House on Friday, February 2, 2018, has not elapsed 48 hours as stated by the Standing Orders of the House.

Besides, it was only “this morning that all members were given copies of the report to read”, hence their inability to be part of the debate.

He then gathered his documents that were spread on his desk and led his men and women to boycott the rest of the sittings.

The five-member Ad hoc Parliamentary Committee that probed the alleged extortion of monies from some expatriates businessmen by the Ministry of Trade and Industry has cleared the latter of any wrong doing.

The Committee which has concluded its work laid the report on the floor of Parliament last week and its expected to be debated this week.

According to the Committee, after the hearings and the analysis and evaluation of the evidence adduced before it, it has come to the conclusion that there is no merit in the allegations leveled against the Ministry as contained in the motion and which culminated in the setting up of the Special Committee.

In the said report a copy of which has been sighted by Kasapafmonline.com, the Committee recommended that “The Controller and Accountant General and the Ministry of Finance should consider in the formulation of the new Regulation of the PFM Act, adequate provision to cater for public private partnership arrangement and emerging or contemporary issues.”

“That there is the need to have a second look at the recall mechanism and ensure that is not needlessly invoked at any time because of its mandatory nature in the constitution. Upon a recall, Mr Speaker may have to establish that there is a “prima facie” case and if Mr Speaker is not satisfied that there is a good reason for the summoning, he may dispense with the meeting. This test is likely to curtail frivolous and vexatious request for a recall.”

“That the practice of some Members of Parliament trooping to the media to make allegations against highly placed officials must cease. The Committee is of the view that Members of Parliament who indulge in such acts ought to be heard in Parliament if they should thereafter bring those matters before Parliament for Parliament to deliberate on the matter.”

On January 5, 2018, the Minority Chief Whip moved a motion at an emergency Parliamentary sitting calling on the House to investigate the alleged levies collected by the Ministry of Trade & Industry of the Ghana Cedi equivalent of various sums up to US$100,000.00 from expatriate businesses and related matters during the recently held Ghana Expatriates Business Awards in Accra.

According to him, the documents at his disposal clearly showed that some monies were collected from expatriates, noting that such was unethical.

The motion was seconded by the MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

The Speaker of Parliament Prof. Mike Oquaye subsequently set up a five member ad hoc committee which investigated the matter.