Approval of ministers, SC justice: Some of my colleagues were bribed – NDC MP alleges

A member of parliament from the minority side has alleged that some of his colleague parliamentarians sold out the minority caucus during the vote to approve ministerial and judicial appointees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

According to the member of parliament (MP) for Cape Coast South, Kweku George Ricketts-Hagan, some of the NDC MPs used the position of strength that the minority caucus had to reject the approval of the appointees to negotiate deals with the government for their personal benefit.

Speaking in an interview on TV3, on Saturday, the NDC MP added that the leadership of the minority caucus knew that some of their members had been bought by the government.

Asked whether he implied that some of the NDC MPs were bribed, Rickettts-Hagan said, “Absolutely, no doubt”.

“Because things added up. Our leadership told us the number of people on our side that they are 100 per cent sure they have got. They told us. And is it a coincidence that the numbers happen to be the same?

“They went into a meeting and our opponents told them that we have bought your people so you have to be careful with what you are trying to do,” he added.

Parliament approves all six nominees, two Supreme Court Justices:

Parliament on Friday, March 24 approved all six ministerial nominees as well as the nominees of the supreme court of President Akufo-Addo after a heated debate, 24 hours prior, and a tense voting process.

Final results declared by Speaker Alban Bagbin showed that all nominees got more votes than the minimum of 138 votes required because out of the 275 eligible voters, there were three absent.

Some Members of Parliament (MPs) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) did not adhere to the decision of the party to vote against the approval of the nominees.

Kobina Tahiru Hammond (MP for Adansi Asokwa) was approved as the Minister of Trade and Industry and Bryan Acheampong (MP for Abetifi) as the Minister of Food and Agriculture.

Other nominees who were approved include Stephen Asamoah Boateng, as Ministry of Chieftaincy; Mohammed Amin Adam, Minister of State (Ministry of Finance), and Osei Bonsu Amoah, Ministry of Local Government.

Stephen Amoah, the Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, was also approved as the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.

The Supreme Court nominees who were approved include George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal, and Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court.

Watch the interview below: