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Pressure group
wants Minister-Nominees investigated
Accra, Feb. 3, Ghanadot/GNA – Alliance for
Accountable Governance (AFAG), a pressure group, on Tuesday
called on Parliament to thoroughly investigate allegations of
fraud raised by various audit reports and unlawful conduct of
some four Minister-Nominees.
The Ministers-Nominees in question are: Mr Haruna Iddrisu for
Communications; Ms Hannah Tetteh for Trade and Industry; Alhaji
Muhammad Mumuni for The Interior and Ms Sherry Ayittey for
Environment Science and Technology.
Mr Godfred Dame, Spokesman for AFAG, told a news conference in
Accra on Tuesday that the various allegations made against the
four bordered on criminality, illegal conduct and dishonesty.
He said in the case of Mr Iddrisu, Member of Parliament for
Tamale South, he had his Master of Philosophy (MPHIL) withdrawn
by the University of Ghana because he was found to have
plagiarized another person’s intellectual property and presented
it as his own to obtain his Masters Degree.
Mr Dame said the current CV of Mr Iddrisu indicated that he now
holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree an indication that he has been
stripped of his Masters Degree.
Mr Dame said Ms Tetteh, who was the Member of Parliament for
Awutu-Senya from 2001-2005 refused to resign from her position
as Human Resource Manager and Head of the Legal Department of
the Ghana Agro Food Company (GAFCO) whiles she was a Member of
Parliament, as required by Article 98(2) of the 1992
Constitution.
He alleged that as a result, Ms Tetteh continued to enjoy full
salaries and benefits of a Member of Parliament as well as that
of a Senior Management Staff of GAFCO over the period.
Mr Dame said in the case of Alhaji Mumuni, forensic audit into
the operations of National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI)
in 2004, found that through the gross negligence of Alhaji
Mumuni, the State had lost a colossal Gh1.5 million cedis
through his involvement with the NVTI alone.
Mr Dame also made reference to Alhaji Mumuni’s recent
appointment by President John Evans Atta Mills to the office of
Acting Minister of The Interior as unconstitutional and by
extension Alhaji Mumuni’s actions in that position as equally
illegal, since his appointment had not been approved by
Parliament.
Mr Dame noted that Ms Sherry Ayittey also has allegations of
financial impropriety hanging around her neck and for that she
could not be qualified to occupy the high office of a Minister
of State.
Mr Abeku Dickson, a Member of AFAG said the conduct of the four
persons could not be set aside when considering them for
ministerial positions.
They said they would present a formal petition to the Clerk of
Parliament and Chairman of the Appointment Committee of
Parliament for a comprehensive inquiry to be conducted.
Meanwhile, Ms Tetteh has stated that the Privileges Committee of
Parliament granted her permission and has threatened court
action against AFAG.
GNA
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