Month: June 2010

The Commission for Human Rights and Adminstrative Justice (CHRAJ), has suspended indefinitely investigations into the allegations of abuse of office against Former Youth and Sports Minister, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak.

The Asawase MP resigned from office in 2009, following allegations of abuse of office and conflict of interest levelled against him while he served as the substantive Sports Minister.

The revelations also led to the interdiction of the then Principal state Accountant of the Ministry, Mr. Adim Odoom and the Chief Director, Albert Ampong, on the grounds that they failed to ensure that laid down procedures were followed to guide the former Minister’s ‘reckless’ expenditure.

CHRAJ suspended investigations into the allegations on Monday 31 May, due to a petition filed by an NGO, the Progressive Nationalist Forum (PNF).

Richard Nyamah the spokesperson of PNF told Citi News on Wednesday June 2, that they requested a stay of proceedings because in their view, CHRAJ failed to deal with the case appropriately.

According to him, their petition was granted by the Commission pending the finality of the court case filed against the Attorney General by Mr. Albert Anthony Ampong and Mr Adim Odoom both of whom are principal witnesses in the case.

Meanwhile, the Legal counsel for Muntaka Munbarak, Dominic Ayini has expressed his displeasure about the treatment been meted out to his client by CHRAJ adding that his client has been treated unfairly.

Dr. Ayini said his client has been the victim of the allegations and for the commission to indefinitely suspend such an investigation, based on a petition filed by a group that accused his client, is grossly unfair.

He noted that the reputation of Muntaka Munbarak as a politician is under threat and added that they will use all legal means possible to fight the case to establish the innocence of his client.

He further added that although he respects the decision of CHRAJ, it would be prudent for the Commission to act in a manner that would produce a fair result for both parties.

Information reaching The Chronicle newspaper from Parliament House in Accra indicates that the Members of Parliament (MPS) are unhappy with the government; over the way their conditions of services are being handled.

According to sources, ever since President Atta Mills assumed the reins of government, there had not been any meaningful discussions regarding pay increase for the MPs, and this was making some of them worried. To rub salt into injury, the SG-SSB, which extended credit facilities to the MPs to purchase cars, was following religiously the procedure for the re-payment of the loan facility.

The bank was said to be deducting between GH500 and GH¢600 per month from the salaries of the MPs, leaving them with virtually nothing to take home. The decision is said to have incurred the wrath of the MPs, who are accusing the government of failing to adjust their salaries.

In an interview with the Minority Leader, Mr. Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, he confirmed that since the assumption office by the current Parliament, nothing had been done to adjust their salaries, as it used
to be with the previous administrations. The Minority Leader, also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame in Kumasi, told The Chronicle that the 1992 Constitution clearly states in Article 17, that salaries of Member of Parliament (MPS) shall be determined by the President.

According to him, it was based on this, that former President Kufuor established the Chinery Hesse Committee to determine the status of emolument for the legislators and others who matter in the running of the administration of this country. According to him, they, as MPs were not happy with the way things were going on, regarding their emoluments, and called on President Mills to look at the situation.

He also confirmed that the SG-SSB was putting pressure on them to re-pay the loans the bank gave to the MPs to purchase cars.

According to him, because their salaries were nothing to write home about, the bank had turned to their gratuities, from which they had been deducting the loan, thus making it impossible for them to discharge their duties as MPs, to the satisfaction of their constituents. Kyei Mensah Bonsu told The Chronicle that being mindful of this situation, the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration normally paid some monies upfront to the bank to meet the deductions before their salaries were adjusted, but the current administration had failed to do so, saying, “even now, we don’t know when the salaries are going to be adjusted, and this is really a problem for many MPs.”

He disclosed to The Chronicle that next week the leadership of the hose would be meeting on the matter, and a four-member committee, made up of Anthony Osei-Akoto, John Tia, E.T. Mensah, and himself, would be meeting the Minister of Finance, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, to discuss the two main issues pertaining to their emoluments. These would include the upfront payment to the banks before the adjustment of salaries, and the issue of the alleged overpayment of gratuities to some members of the last parliament, and possible means of establishing a sound basis of the computerization of gratuity for parliamentarians in future.

Source: The Chronicle/Ghana