Petitioner Against Edumadze Takes Case To Speaker

The NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Esikuma Odoben Brakwa P.C Appiah Ofori is seeking the Speaker?s intervention to enable him provides evidence of allegations made against Central Regional Minister designate Isaac Edumadze.

The MP sent a lengthy petition to Parliaments Appointments Committee cataloguing about 15 allegations, which in his view, made the Central Regional minister designate unsuitable for the job.


The sub Committee set up to investigate Mr. Edumadze is only prepared to hear evidence for one case in which he allegedly took bribe before awarding a contract.


Among other things the petition accused Mr. Edumadze of corruption, bullying and meddling in chieftaincy matters, issues that were all denied by the minister designate when he appeared before the vetting committee.


Totally unsatisfied with some of the responses, given but Mr. Edumadze, a sub committee was constituted to further investigate him and two other nominees.


Mr. Ofori Appiah was unhappy with the approach adopted by the sub committee. Following and invitation to substantiate the allegations, the MP on Tuesday bused three witnesses from Cape Coast to give evidence before the committee only to be told that the subcommittee?s mandate was restricted to bribery allegations.


Finding the move unacceptable, he has therefore decided to take his case to the Speaker of Parliament.

? My objective reason is to prevent the corrupt person from going to administer the region for another four years?, he said.


Mr. Appiah Ofori stated for instance that the current elected representative for the Council of State was supported by Mr. Edumadze.


Mr. Appiah Ofori cited the recent election for regional representatives to the Council of State as one of the recent tests of Mr. Edumadze?s popularity in the region.


? I brought in 15 witnesses and copious documents proving all these allegations and when I came I was told the committee has been given the mandate to investigate one out of the 15 allegations. But I insisted that I should be allowed to prove all the allegations because we talk about accountability, zero tolerance for corruption so that appropriate disciplinary action could be undertaken against Edumadze if found culpable, But I was not allowed?, he said.


?What I have decided to do is write a letter with all the documents to the speaker and call on him to see whether in the face of the evidence in the document, the appointment committee is right to prevent me from substantiating the evidence?, he said.


Sources close to the subcommittee indicate that a final report of its work will be presented to the Appointments Committee today and barring further issues the final decision on three nominees will be submitted to Parliament on Thursday.