PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE TO BE VETTED NEXT-WEEK MONDAY

A Committee which was set-up by Parliament to approved on presidential nominees into plubic office has been fixed Monday, August 6, 2012 to publicly vet Mr Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, Presidential nominee for the position of Vice President.

The decision was taken at a closed sitting of the committee yesterday after the Speaker; Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo read a communication from President John Mahama informing the House about the nomination of Mr Amissah-Arthur for the Vice President position and referred him to the Appointments Committee for consideration and report.

In a news conference in Accra, after the meeting, the Ranking Member of the Committee and Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said the vetting is expected to begin at 9:00 am on Monday, and end by 2:00 pm, after which a report would be presented to the House for approval on the same day.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu explained that the committee decided to conduct its vetting in public since the nominee had to be known by the people he would be serving.

He observed that the committee would begin advertisements to request for memoranda from the public on the nominee from August 1 to August 6 before beginning the vetting process at 9.00 am the same day.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu was hopeful that members of the committee would be circumspect with their questions due to the high office the nominee was expected to hold.

Mr Rashid Pelpuo, Deputy Majority Leader, on the other hand noted that given the exigencies of the time, the House would accelerate the process in order not to violate the dictates of the Constitution and the Standing Order 172 (3) which mandates the House to vet the Vice Presidential nominee in public.