OSP petitioned to probe alleged bribery during IPAC meeting
Convenor of Election Watch Ghana, Mark Ewusi has petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate allegations of bribery during the last Inter Party Advisory Committee engagement held by the Electoral Commission with political parties on October 1.
Mark, who is also the National Youth Organizer for the People’s National Convention (PNC) is alleging that monies were shared to some selected participating party representatives few minutes before the commencement of the IPAC meeting.
He claimed to have received GHC3,000.
He further revealed that his share of the money was given to him by an executive of the Liberal Party of Ghana.
Mark told journalists after petitioning the OSP that money has never been shared during an IPAC meeting, so there is the need for investigation to be launched into this allegation to unravel the reasons behind sharing of the booties which he believes was to influence their decisions at the meeting.
“People are not happy that I am going to petition the Special Prosecutor, but our democracy cannot be reduced to this level,” he said.
But when contacted, the General Secretary of the LPG, Jerry Apawu the man at the center of doling out the money to Mark Ewusi, explained that he only gave the money out because Mark had earlier begged him for money to settle his family’s rent issues.
He said he has not received any call or letter from the Office of the Special Prosecutor inviting him for questioning. Apaw said, “this is why people go through difficult times, and nobody helps them. Bcause Mark begged me for money to pay his family’s rent allowance and now look what he is doing.”
He added that, “He came to me for financial assistance after Bernard Mornah, his leader could not help him.”
Jerry Apaw continued that, “I don’t even know how much I gave to him because I just dipped my hands in my pocket and gave him what I brought out.”
Ten political parties were present at the said IPAC meeting which discussed the National Democratic Congress’ petition requesting a forensic audit of the provisional voters register.
Eight of the parties opposed to the NDC’s request while two endorsed it.
The Electoral Commission’s engagement with the political parties was televised.
Read full petition below:
