Minority leader wants Bagbin questioned
The Minority Leader of Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei - Mensah Bonsu, has asked Parliament to invite Mr Alban S.K. Bagbin for questioning on his claims that some Members of Parliament (MPs) take bribe to articulate the views of some individuals and organisations on the floor of Parliament.
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He said Mr Bagbin should provide further evidence and particulars backing his claims that indeed some MPs took bribe.
“If Mr Bagbin stands by his pronouncement, we should invite him to provide further and better particulars and evidence to us, and we will take it from there,” he stated.
Background
The MP for the Nadowli/Kaleo Constituency, Mr Bagbin, has alleged that some Members of Parliament (MPs) take bribes to articulate the views of some individuals and organisations on the floor of Parliament.
He said evidence to that effect existed, and added that the practice had persisted because of the lack of laid-down rules and ethics on lobbying in the country.
Mr Bagbin was speaking at a two-day seminar in Koforidua to representatives of 40 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which had sought to influence policy by having laws passed or changing laws thought to be inimical to national development.
“The reality is that MPs are Ghanaians, and there is evidence that some MPs take bribes and come to the floor and try to articulate the views of their sponsors,” he said.
Provide evidence
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said he was unaware of any instance in which MPs took bribe.
He said lobbying did not mean bribery because other countries engaged in professional lobbying, citing that the Government of Ghana is one of the major lobbyists in the country.
The Minority Leader further reiterated the MP for Suame’s take that such allegations coming from Mr Bagbin, an experienced Member of Parliament, meant that there was the need to use all efforts to investigate and ensure that the canker was combated.
That, he said, was because the primary responsibility of Parliament was to ensure value for money and fight all forms of bribery and corruption in Ghana.