The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has accused the Member of Parliament for Asante Akim North, Andy Appiah-Kubi and an unnamed businessman of producing well-rehearsed and choreographed responses to the probe into the alleged bribery of some NPP MPs.
According to a report by the OSP dated December 28, 2023, it is unable to continue the parliamentary probe due to the hostility from the Majority caucus.
It will be recalled that in 2023, the OSP initiated investigations into allegations that a wealthy businessman attempted to bribe Members of Parliament on the Majority side. The aim was to sway them away from their demands for the dismissal of the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
This was after Andy Appiah Kubi, along with over 50 New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs, had called for the removal of the Finance Minister. However, their position softened after a meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Yielding to the President’s pleas, they agreed to let the Minister remain in office to finalize Ghana’s bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
But after several hurdles, the OSP has decided to halt the investigation into the bribery claims because the main accuser in the case, the Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim-North, Andy Appiah Kubi has not been cooperative.
“Mr Appiah-Kubi’s refusal to cooperate with the investigation and his refusal to disclose the identity of the suspect are most regrettable. It is quite perplexing for a Member of Parliament to level accusations of attempted bribery on a person (whether certain or uncertain) in a most spectacular and public manner on a network of a major media house and then stage a bizarre volte-face by refusing to cooperate with the investigation and refusing to disclose and/or confirm the identity of the suspect.”
The OSP also added that although it is convinced that a “certain well-known wealthy Ghanaian businessman visited Parliament House circa 1 October 2022 and requested a meeting with a section of NPP Members of Parliament and that the businessman in question had attempted to offer them money to influence their demand for the resignation or removal ofMr. Ofori-Atta, and that Mr. [Name withheld by the OSP] is the businessman in question – the rehearsed and choreographed refusal to cooperate and continued refusal to cooperate by the accuser and vital key, Mr. Appiah-Kubi, produced the very unhappy result that there is not enough probative evidence (direct or circumstantial) to sustain the institution of criminal proceedings against the OSP’s identified suspect.”
“On that reckoning, the Special Prosecutor directs the closure of the investigation in respect of allegations that a well-known and wealthy businessman attempted to bribe a section of the majority caucus of Parliament. The Special Prosecutor determines that the institution of criminal proceedings, at this time, against the OSP’s identified suspect would serve no useful purpose. The investigation may be re-opened should the circumstances and further facts so dictate,” the OSP added in its report.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) presents this report on an investigation into alleged attempted bribery of the majority caucus of the Parliament of Ghana. You can access the full report by clicking on this link; https://t.co/5UbeKXnRQU pic.twitter.com/Wwi2UGra3G
— Office of the Special Prosecutor-Ghana (@ospghana) January 3, 2024
Read the OSP’s report below:
