Yamson Committee throws out Chinery Hesse Report… Faults Mpiani for acting inappropriately

From left: Ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor, Mr. Kojo Mpiani, Former Chief of Staff, Mrs Chinery Hesse, Dr. Ishmeal Yamson

The Ishmael Yamson Committee (IYC), which was set up by President Mills to review the Chinery Hesse Committee (CHC) report on emoluments for retired presidents, has rejected the report submitted to the President by the latter committee. According to IYC, two reports seem to be circulating within the corridors of power, and they did not know which one of them was authentic.

“The IYC is not able to recommend to H.E. the President to accept the CHC Reports for implementation for the following reasons: The IYC cannot confirm which of the final reports was supposedly approved. There are uncertainties, ambiguities and doubts surrounding the reports, leading to lack of authenticity. Both the President and Parliament did not give approvals, as they are mandated to do by the constitution. On the contrary, both the President and Parliament sought to approve the emoluments applicable to all persons listed under Article 71 of the constitution.”

The IYC final report, which was submitted to President Mills recently, a copy of which has been sighted by The Chronicle, expressed shock at the way the CHC was rushed through Parliament for the supposed approval.

“The IYC noted with surprise that a committee, which had taken four years to do painstaking work, should have its report rushed through the approval system on the last day of the life of the Fourth Session of the Fourth Parliament, i.e January 6, 2009, the day on which Parliament was to be dissolved.”

According to the report, contrary to indications that there was only one final report, there was more than one. “There is more than one final report in 2008. There is a final report of June 2008 and another final report of December 2008. However, the Chairman of the Chinery Hessey Committee has indicated that the committee's report was actually finished in June 2008,” the IYC noted.

The IYC also noted with concern that the final report on December had more than one version, indicating how fictitious it was. “All the final reports that the IYC has seen are unsigned. Even though the Chairman of the CHC insists that the report was signed.”

Mr. Yamson's report, further averred that during their review, there were no transmittal letters from the former Chief of staff, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani, to Parliament, contrary to the laid down principles.

According to the report, the version, which the parliament apparently received and acted upon, referred to the emoluments of Article 71 office holders, whereas the version that the IYC received, which was also happened to be the one published in the press, referred to Article 71 (1) office holders.

The report hinted that Mr. Mpiani's letter was not received in either the Registry of the Speaker or the Registry of the Clerk to Parliament, as having been received on January 2009.

The Clerk, according to the report, indicated to the IYC that he only saw Mr. Mpiani's letter for the first time in the press. “Although the Parliamentary leadership we met was categorical that the approval by Parliament of the Report could be found in the Hansard of January 6, 2009, there is no such evidence,” the report stated.

In addition, the committee averred that there were no transmittal letters from the Committee to the President.

Apart from not being able to recommend to the President what to do, due to doubts, uncertainties and ambiguities, the IYC recommended that the existing facilities and privileges, which were already being implemented, should be allowed to continue.

Stating that the review of the emoluments of the Article 71 office holders should be a dynamic process, the Committee stressed the need that the current practice of using a multiplier of four months consolidated salary for each completed year of service, or pro-rata, to calculate gratuity should be revisited.

In a vivid account, IYC noted that the Chairman of the Committee, Mrs. Mary Chinnery-Hesse, had resigned at a point in time as the Chairperson of the Committee when she was appointed as Special Advisor to ex-President Kufuor.

Accordingly, the report noted that two members of the CHC, Mr. Alhassan Andani and Mr. Fred Oware, had little to do, raising a lot of questions about the genuineness of the report.