Prez Mills forms committee to review the Chinery-Hesse report
Abdul Salam Sule, Ghanadot

Accra, March 27, Ghanadot - In his bid to bring to rest the saga of ex-gratia awards for former President Kufour and some members of parliament, credible information reaching Ghanadot has it that President John Mills has, in consultation with the Council Of State, set up a Five-Member Committee to review the Chinery-Hesse Committee Report.

The president’s plan to review the gratuity payable to beneficiaries under the Chinery-Hessey Committee Report has drawn sharp condemnation from several legal brains and former Members of the House, some of whom have threatened to challenge the decision in Court.

The president's decision is in line with his earlier promise to order a review of the report, after news of the size of bonuses purportedly approved for the former president triggered widespread public outcry and street demonstrations by the Committee For Joint Action.

The exact details of the president's new committee are not clear, but credible Castle sources say that the details and the names of members of the committee will be announced on Monday March 30 2009.

Sources say news of the formation of the new Committee was broken to Members of Parliament at a closed-door meeting on March 26.

On Tuesday March 31, a delegation from parliament is expected to meet the committee to explain their stance on the Chinery-Hesse Committee report.

Ghanadot gathers that the announcement to review the gratuity payable to the beneficiaries drew sharp objections from most members of parliament, some of whom have threatened to boycott the approval of the Appropriation Bill for 2009, a move that could bring government business to a standstill.

Meanwhile, reliable sources within the leadership of Parliament have disclosed that the president has already paid part of the gratuity payable to MPs who served in the fourth Parliament of the fourth republic.

The Chinery-Hessey Committee recommended five months salary for each year of service as gratuity, but the president released four months for each year of service, pending review of the package by the new Committee.

Ghanadot