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An allegation by the activist, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, suggesting that members of Parliament's Appointments Committee have been taking monies from ministerial nominees before vetting and approving them for appointment took centre stage at a meeting of the committee on Tuesday afternoon.
Barker-Vormawor had put up a post on social media on January 24, 2025, making the allegation.
"So all the monies the ministerial appointees are being asked to pay to the Appointments Committee just to get approved, are those ones not affected by ORAL? Strange Republic," was what he posted.
His suggestion was that the Operation Retrieve All Loot (ORAL) committee formed by President John Dramani Mahama should look at the issue.
On Tuesday (Jan 28, 2025) around midday at the Appointments Committee of Parliament's meeting, the Chairman of the committee, Bernard Ahiafor who is also the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament responded to the allegation [Watch attached video below].
Mr Ahiafor went ahead to summon Oliver Barker-Vormawor to appear before the committee on Wednesday with his evidence.
Shortly after the issue had been raised at the committee meeting and while members were deliberating on suspending sitting until Barker-Vormawor had appeared with his evidence, Barker-Vormawor responded with a reaction on Facebook.
"This is how a Democracy improves. I look forward to appearing before the Appointments Committee tomorrow. Thank You," he wrote.
What the Chairman said before summoning Barker-Vormawor
Mr Ahiafor is raising the issues stated that a matter of public importance had come to the attention of the committee.
"This matter affects me [Ahiafor] personally and all the members of the committee. I don’t know what it is in the country of ours, that every vetting cycle, members of the Appointments Committee [of Parliament] will be tagged with corruption."
"Our attention has been drawn to a statement by Oliver Barker-Vormawor to the effect that
Majority Members of the Appointments Committee have been demanding money before approving the nominees and the chairman must submit himself to ORAL. Let me place on record that I am ever ready to submit myself to ORAL
The second aspect was to the effect that all the committee members are taking money from the nominees before vetting and approval."
He added: "This morning instead of starting vetting at least about 10 o'clock, we recalled into conclave to deliberate on the issue. We need to stop certain attitude so therefore I, Bernard Ahiafor, First Deputy Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament and Chairmen of the Vetting Committee, wants to place it on record that myself and the committee members do not demand money from any nominee before vetting and approval."
"I will therefore direct the Clerk of the committee to invite Oliver Barker-Vormawor to appear before the committee tomorrow at 10 before noon to provide evidence of Bernard Ahiafor, the chairman of the vetting committee, or any member of the vetting committee to back his claim that we demand money from the nominees before vetting and approval, Clerk of the committee, I so direct.
"When he [Oliver] fail, then we can invoke the powers of the committee under Article 103 and our own Standing Order 134, I so direct, thank you for your attention," he stated.
Parliament summons Barker-Vormawor over allegation of money taking before vetting of ministerial
