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We received money after vettings, not bribes—Osei-Owusu

Source The Ghana Report

Joseph Osei-Owusu, the former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, has acknowledged that members of the Appointments Committee received payments from the Chief of Staff following the vetting of nominees.

He, however, defended the practice, claiming it was not bribery since it was not intended to influence the decision of the members of the committee.

Speaking on accusations based on his comments in Manasseh Azure’s book, which suggested that money is given to MPs after vetting, Mr. Osei-Owusu argued that there is nothing wrong with the act.

“Yes, indeed. I told him (Manasseh Azure) that when I joined the Appointments Committee, most of the time, at the close of our work, the Chief of Staff would bring money to the members of the committee. It’s like facilitating our work. I wonder how anybody could link that to bribery.

“This is after the work. How can that bring an advantage to anybody? What gives a disadvantage to anybody? So it’s a pity how we can stretch facts,” he insisted.

Addressing a 2017 incident where Mahama Ayariga and other MPs accused him of being involved in bribery during the vetting of a ministerial nominee, Mr. Osei-Wusu said, “I was very confident that everything Ayariga and the others said had nothing to do with me. I don’t know where they created it from.”

He further complained about how Ghanaians make allegations without evidence.

“The easiest thing in our country is throwing about allegations. Often, people will just say things, and when you ask them to provide the evidence, they are found wanting,” he said in an interview on JoyNews on January 29, 2025.

This comes after the current Appointment Committee of Parliament summoned Oliver Barker-Vormawor to present evidence to substantiate his bribery allegations against its members.

The activist had alleged in a social media post that committee members receive bribes from nominees before vetting and approving them.

However, he failed to provide evidence and later apologised for his claims.

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