Former Speaker breaks silence

The former Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. E. B. Sekyi Hughes, after a long silence, has now come public to deny looting his official residence to his Takoradi base, at the time he left office.

"Wall hangings and various artifacts that visitors may have seen at the Speaker's with some dating from several years back," he added.

In a press statement issued Tuesday, Mr. Sekyi-Hughes explained that his silence on the issue was as a result of being out of the country and that had made it impossible for him to react then.

The statement indicated that stories that were written about him in his absence sought to suggest that he had without prior approval taken away household items from his official residence.

The statement urged social commentators and all concerned to verify the allegations from official records.

It continued that by the constitution of the Fourth Republic the Clerk of Parliament is the Head of the Parliamentary Service, and as Head of the Service, the Clerk, Mr. Kenneth Tachie addressed a memo dated April 18, 2007, to the Parliamentary Service Board, proposing for the agenda titled: POLICY GUIDELINES ON SOFT FURNISHING FOR SPEAKER, THE LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STAFF OF THE PARLIAMENTARY SERVICE."

It indicated that the beneficiaries of the policy, according to the memo, were the Rt. Hon. Speaker, Deputy Speakers, Majority Leader, Minority Leader, the Whips, Clerk, Deputy Clerk, Directors, Principal Assistant Clerk, and analogous positions.

At a meeting held on March 4, 2008, the board approved the soft furnishing entitlements of the Speaker, Leadership and Management Staff of the Parliamentary Service.

"At its 45th and 47th Meeting, the Parliamentary Service Board brought back the Soft Furnishing Policy. It decided that with the exception of the Speaker, cash equivalents may be provided to the leadership for items not yet procured. By a memo dated November 4, 2008, the Head of the Service provided to the Parliamentary Service Board the computed cash equivalents." it stressed.

The Statement noted that during the period under review the Parliamentary Service Board included the following; Rt. Hon. Speaker (Chairman), Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs (Hon Felix Owusu Adjapong, replaced by Hon Abraham Ossei-Aidooh), Minority Leader (Hon Alban Bagbin)" Member of the House (Hon. Gifty Ohene Konady), former Member of the House (Mr Joseph Darko-Mensah) and the Clerk (Mr Kenneth Tachie, replaced by Mr E.K. Anyimadu.

It maintained that records show that the present residence was not the first official residence of the Speaker of Parliament, adding that since 1993. Parliament has provided furnishing to residencies of the Leadership.

"Such furnishing soft and hard has been retained by leadership on leaving office. Vehicles provided have also been retained. If it is the view that any particular item must be paid for, the Parliamentary Service Board may so determine it, consistent with the manner of disposal to earlier beneficiaries." the Statement concluded.