Cash for seat saga: Expatriates could be jailed – PC Appiah Ofori

Anti-corruption campaigner and former MP for Asikuma Odobeng Brakwa, P.C Appiah Ofori has asked the Parliamentary Committee investigating the cash-for-seat saga to sanction expatriate businessmen to appear before it.

The Committee was on Tuesday forced to adjourn its sitting after the expats failed to appear before the committee.

It is not clear what might have informed their action.

At least some twenty representatives from the various expatriate businesses were expected to appear before Tuesday’s sitting to assist with investigations into the alleged cash for seat at the Ghana Expatriate Business Awards that was held in Accra some few weeks ago.

But kasapafmonline.com is well informed that the expatriates are demanding for a closed-door engagement with the Committee, hence, their decision not to turn up for today’s sitting.

But speaking to Starr News, P.C Appiah Ofori said the action of the expats amounted to contempt of Parliament and as such they must be punished accordingly.

“Their conduct offends the constitution, it amounts to contempt. Parliament has the status of a High Court and if Parliament invites you and you fail to come and you don’t give reasons for that you can be cited for contempt, you can be thrown into prison. If there have no good reason for failing to come then they’ve committed contempt especially as they did not inform the committee that they’ll not be able to come. They can be thrown into prison if the Committee so decides.

“It is a matter which has public interest so almost every Ghanaian will want to know what happened and therefore it will be better to hold it in public. If you go to Parliament it is open to the general public, so you cannot decide that unless it is held in camera you are not going attend.”