Rockson Bukari resigns from office as Minister of State over bribery allegation

Minister of State at the Office of the President, Rockson Bukari has resigned his post effective Monday, April 29.

This follows reports of his alleged involvement in an attempt to bribe a journalist to drop a story against a mining firm.

Mr. Bukari has been heard on a leaked tape attempting to bribe the Starr FM journalist, Edward Adeti, to kill a story against a judge and a Chinese mining firm when he was Upper East Regional Minister.

He denied the bribery allegation in a statement on Sunday, insisting he was only intervening.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Minister’s approach by way of pleading with Edeti is typical with his peace-making intervention approach to situations, and in this case, sought to avoid what he was informed was a misjudgment sought to be projected to hurt the reputation of a retiring judge in the region he had superintended as minister,” a statement from his office said.

The journalist also reacted to the Minister’s statement and called for his head.

“I think the Minister should rather respond to the disclaimer issued against him yesterday by the Tongo Rana for delivering a message which the Tongo Rana now says in a press release that he did not send him to deliver to the journalist.

“With all due respect, I think the Minister should resign. How could you sink so low with a tattered statement like this! You cannot be trusted! You have demonstrated that you are not fit to be there!” Adeti said.

However, on Monday, Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, in a statement confirmed Mr Bukari had resigned.

The statement added that the President, Nana Akufo-Addo has accepted his resignation.

Below is a letter from the Presidency.