Pressure group wants Minister-Nominees investigated

Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), a pressure group, on Tuesday called on Parliament to thoroughly investigate allegations of fraud raised by various audit reports and unlawful conduct of some four Minister-Nominees.

The Ministers-Nominees in question are: Mr Haruna Iddrisu for Communications; Ms Hannah Tetteh for Trade and Industry; Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni for The Interior and Ms Sherry Ayittey for Environment Science and Technology.

Mr Godfred Dame, Spokesman for AFAG, told a news conference in Accra on Tuesday that the various allegations made against the four bordered on criminality, illegal conduct and dishonesty.

He said in the case of Mr Iddrisu, Member of Parliament for Tamale South, he had his Master of Philosophy (MPHIL) withdrawn by the University of Ghana because he was found to have plagiarized another person's intellectual property and presented it as his own to obtain his Masters Degree.

Mr Dame said the current CV of Mr Iddrisu indicated that he now holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree an indication that he has been stripped of his Masters Degree.

Mr Dame said Ms Tetteh, who was the Member of Parliament for Awutu-Senya from 2001-2005 refused to resign from her position as Human Resource Manager and Head of the Legal Department of the Ghana Agro Food Company (GAFCO) whiles she was a Member of Parliament, as required by Article 98(2) of the 1992 Constitution.

He alleged that as a result, Ms Tetteh continued to enjoy full salaries and benefits of a Member of Parliament as well as that of a Senior Management Staff of GAFCO over the period.

Mr Dame said in the case of Alhaji Mumuni, forensic audit into the operations of National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) in 2004, found that through the gross negligence of Alhaji Mumuni, the State had lost a colossal Gh1.5 million cedis through his involvement with the NVTI alone.

Mr Dame also made reference to Alhaji Mumuni's recent appointment by President John Evans Atta Mills to the office of Acting Minister of The Interior as unconstitutional and by extension Alhaji Mumuni's actions in that position as equally illegal, since his appointment had not been approved by Parliament.

Mr Dame noted that Ms Sherry Ayittey also has allegations of financial impropriety hanging around her neck and for that she could not be qualified to occupy the high office of a Minister of State.

Mr Abeku Dickson, a Member of AFAG said the conduct of the four persons could not be set aside when considering them for ministerial positions.

They said they would present a formal petition to the Clerk of Parliament and Chairman of the Appointment Committee of Parliament for a comprehensive inquiry to be conducted.

Meanwhile, Ms Tetteh has stated that the Privileges Committee of Parliament granted her permission and has threatened court action against AFAG.