Cash-for-seat committee sitting must be public – Minority

The Minority in Parliament is pushing for the sittings of the five-member ad hoc committee investigating alleged extortion of monies from expatriates by the Trades Ministry to be opened to the public.

Speaker of parliament Prof Mike Oquaye set up the committee at the request of the Minority which claims the Public Financial Management Act was breached when some expatriates were charged based on sitting proximity with the president during an awards ceremony.

The investigatory committee is made up of three members from the Majority side of the House and two from the Minority and they are: Ameyaw Kyeremeh, Majority Chief Whip, Chair of the Committee, Dr. Assibey Yeboah, Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, and Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, MP for Adentan [all from the Majority].

Those from the Minority are James Klutsey Avedzie, Deputy Minority Leader, and Dominic Ayine, the MP for Bolgatanga East.

The Minority MPs believe a public sitting will ensure transparency.

However, the Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said the minority must allow the committee to decide the modality for its operations.

“They’ll have to define for themselves. I have told the committee to define and if they want to do public sitting it’s up to them, just so the public will be satisfied,” the MP for Suame told Starr News.

The committee has up to January 25 to submit its report.