Minority heads to Supreme Court over presidential spouses salary

The Minority in Parliament is planning a suit at the Supreme Court to challenge monthly remuneration for First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Second Lady Samira Bawumia.

According to the Member of Parliament for South Dayi Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the move was to seek proper interpretation of who qualifies as Article 71 office holder to benefit from such offers.

“As we speak, I’m in the process of filing a writ at the Supreme Court. Hopefully, tomorrow the writ would have been filed,” he hinted.

He was of the view that a committee tasked to review emoluments “had no mandate to make the kind of recommendation they did” for spouses of presidents and vice-presidents.

“The terms of reference of the committee were to review the emoluments of Article 71 office-holders. They didn’t tell them to go and review the condition of services of a person who does not fall within Article 71 officeholders,” he maintained at a press briefing.

The 7th Parliament approved salaries for spouses of presidents and their vice as recommended by the Prof. Ntiamoah-Baidu committee on emoluments.

But the South Dayi legislator insists the minority kicked against portions of the recommendations as contained in the report to Parliament.

“Parliament could have insisted for them to take the report back, amend and relay. But the sponsors of the report were adamant. The fact that they were adamant doesn’t mean parliament approved of it. Parliament approved what was legitimate as contained in the report.

“So, if the president says today that because it went through parliament, he’s giving the go-ahead for the recommendations to be implemented, the appropriate quarter to tackle that will be the Supreme Court. To determine whether or not the spouses of the President and the Vice President are contemplated as Article 71 public holders as ascribed to it in the constitution,” he added.

The Emolument Committee

The five-member committee was set up in June 2019 by President Akufo-Addo to make recommendations to him and to Parliament on the salaries and allowances payable and the facilities and privileges available to article 71 officeholders.

Under the chairmanship of Professor Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu and which also had former Majority Leader and former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Abraham Ossei Aidooh, the Chief Executive of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission Dr Edward Kwapong, the current Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency Dr Eric Oduro Osae, and a former Managing Director of Done Well Life Insurance Co. Ltd Mrs Stella Segbawu, the committee had two terms of reference.

They were charged to make recommendations regarding emoluments and other privileges for article 71 officeholders, as specified under the Constitution, and to examine any other relevant matter which the Committee deemed appropriate to its work.

As part of its recommendations, they proposed that allowances given to the spouses of the President and Vice President be formally included in the review of the entitlements for the executive.

The recommendation is said to have been forwarded to the Seventh Parliament, which gave the final approval.

A section of Ghanaians kick against the salaries

Meanwhile, several Ghanaians and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have kicked against the move in an era of huge pressure on the public purse and rising debts.

The Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Professor Henry Kwesi Prempeh, is one of the critics opposing the introduction of the salaries.

Prof. H Kwesi Prempeh said the First and Second Ladies are not article 71 officeholders as enshrined in the constitution; hence they do not qualify for such benefits.

“The Article 71 Emoluments Committee has no authority to recommend payment of any allowance or emolument to First or Second Spouses, as these are not Article 71 offices or officeholders,” he insisted.

According to him, the committee should also extend the remuneration to the Speaker’s spouse by their working logic.

“Anyway, why stop at First and Second Spouses?” he asked.

Why not the Third Spouse (since the Speaker gets to act as President sometimes) or the Fourth (so the Chief Justice, too, can enjoy some marital privileges on the back of taxpayers), and on and on and on”.

“The political class cannot use the Article 71 process to smuggle in salaries or allowances for First and Second Spouses,” he maintained.