Double Salary: Let Amidu, courts do their job - Alabi

There’s absolutely no point in dragging people’s names in the mud and tarnishing their images through the media when there are systems including the Special Prosecutor’s Office and the courts to take up issues regarding corruption and investigate accordingly, Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies (UPSA), Professor Joshua Alabi has said.

Speaking on the back of ‘double salary’ allegations against some former Mahama appointees that hit the media about a week ago, he maintained that it is inappropriate and quite unnecessary that such delicate issues involving the reputation of individuals be thrown into the public sphere when there is not enough evidence rather than be left to designated bodies like the Special Prosecutor and the courts to probe and subsequently prosecute where need be.

“If NDC people have stolen monies, the courts are there, Special Prosecutor, too is there…but if you just shake your head and arbitrarily say this person or that person has stolen money, it is not the right way to go,”

“There are processes that can be used to determine if someone has stolen money… let’s allow the system to work than to use the media to judge people and then sentence them”

“Let us let the process bring those who have stolen government money to book and stop using the media to tarnish the image of individuals,” he admonished.

The subject of ‘double salary’ has been in the news for well over the past week after a report from the Daily Guide Newspaper revealed some former appointees under the erstwhile Mahama-led government were taking salaries in their respective capacities as Members of Parliament and Ministers concurrently and have offered to refund the monies accordingly.

The Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service is currently investigating the matter and is inviting some accused persons for questioning.

Although it annulled the invitation of 18 out of the 25 accused persons last week, it said it would soon reinvite them to help in investigations. Minority has since the revelation, refuted reports of any such occurrence. “We must state for the records that contrary to the claims by the Daily Guide, no appointee has offered to make refunds of double salaries,” Minority spokesperson on finance and a former deputy Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson said at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, 10 April 2018.

He accused government of engaging in propaganda and the use of state security to intimidate members of the Minority.



“Our attention has been drawn to a publication in today's Daily Guide newspaper alleging that some 22 Article 71 appointees of the erstwhile Mahama administration were overpaid whilst serving as Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Members of Parliament.