Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has called for the immediate suspension of the vetting process of Defence Minister, nominee Omane Boamah over bribery allegations.
This comes after activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, alleged that members of the Appointments Committee demand money from ministerial nominees in exchange for approval.
According to Annoh-Dompreh, the allegations have tarnished the committee’s integrity and reputation hence has called for the meeting to be suspended.
“We care about our reputation, if you don’t care about yours and don’t forget that this is an institution, parliament has been imbued, you don’t even have a basis to sit here. You’ve been told you’re corrupt you’re taking money from nominees before you sit and you still come to sit and don’t find it offensive”.
“You want us to come and sit and behave like the ostrich and we go ahead we in the minority won’t support you to do this. We won’t inflict further pains on parliament” he noted.
He disclosed that the minority has suffered too much and should stop.
“Mr. Speaker all we’re saying is, suspend sitting and vetting. The nominee knows it’s not about him it’s not being personal. Your visitors we apologize to you go back and come back another time when the committee so decides, if it were you, you will react in the same way I am very pained” he mentioned.
He explained that since Saturday he got calls asking him about it while his children and constituents also questioned if he was taking bribe before doing his civic duties.
“We beg you in the name of God let us fight this allegation as a block, let us fight as a unit. For once, let’s put our partisan positions aside and deal with this young man to know that indeed there are parliamentarians who discharge their civic responsibilities without necessarily taking money from people”.
“This cannot be tolerated we can’t vet today and let it be said that the minority are against it if you don’t care about your reputation we care about our reputation because they have put together all of us together” he added.