Speaker not paid rent advance – Parliament

Parliament has refuted media reports that the Speaker of the House, Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye took money as rent advance, despite the fact that he has been provided with official accommodation.

Parliament in a statement signed by Acting Director of Public Affairs, Kate Addo, has explained that at the beginning of every term, Member are paid some allowances towards their rent but the Speaker by virtue of his position “is not entitled to such an allowance and was therefore not paid any such advance.”

“By statute, the speaker is not to be paid any rent advance. The Prof Dora Francisca Edu Buandon Presidential Committee on emoluments for article 71 Office Holders contains the same provision,” the statement stated.

It further explained that the Speaker has been allocated an official residence which he uses for official purposes but he is however yet to move into the residence since renovation works on the building is not yet complete for full occupancy.

According to the statement, the residence is due to be handed over for full occupation in May this year, therefore, the Speaker was only given a monthly stipend for rent while he waited to occupy his official residence.

Parliament has therefore described the media reports as “regrettable”.

The statement stated that the House “takes such a strong exception to these reports which seek not only to bring the Speaker’s name, but the entire institution into disrepute,” and urged the media to cross check any information with its offices for confirmation before any such stories are published.

Find the full statement below