Prosecute former Speaker - NDC Chairman

Accra, June 13, GNA - The Parliamentary Service Board (PSB) has been criticized for the way it has handled the case in which the former Speaker of Parliament Mr. Begyina Sekyi-Hughes removed certain soft furnishings from his official residence on his retirement from the Service.

The NDC Chairman of the Odododiodioo Constituency, Mr Daniel Nii Okai, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Saturday, stated that, "merely asking the former Speaker to return the items he took away from his official residence to the house of the current Speaker is not enough".

"This should not be the end of the matter", he said adding that, "Mr Sekyi-Hughes should be made to face the law court since what he did was criminal and must be treated as such".

Mr. Okai pointed out that the former Speaker should be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent for other high office holders and said "stealing is stealing, be it by a big man or the lowly placed. The culprit must be made to face the law".

"There must not be one set of laws, which deals sternly with the common man and another one for the highly placed in society," he said adding that, "The law must not be seen as a respecter of persons. All must be seen as equal before the law".

Mr Okai said now that the former Speaker had returned some of the items he must be charged before court just like any other person who stole government property.

He accused the PSB for dealing leniently with Mr Sekyi-Hughes because he was the immediate past head of the Service and the Board. The PSB recently asked the former Speaker to return the items to the house of the current Speaker for the matter to be laid to rest but Mr. Okai, in his estimation stated that this was not enough saying, "Having disgraced the high office of Speaker of Parliament, Mr Sekyi-Hughes must be made to face the tune for his actions", Mr Okai said.