Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has ordered the referral of allegations concerning an alleged $46,000 bribery involving members of the 2015 Energy Committee to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) for further investigation, following claims that money was paid in connection with parliamentary approval of the AKSA emergency power agreement.
The accusations were levelled by former Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery, Asante Kwaku Berko, whose claims have prompted an internal administrative examination by Parliament to establish the circumstances surrounding the consideration and endorsement of the agreement, as well as identify those who participated in the relevant parliamentary proceedings.
Communicating his decision to the House on Wednesday, November 11, Mr Bagbin underscored the necessity of allowing established legal procedures to determine the facts, insisting that any individual found to have engaged in wrongdoing must face the appropriate legal consequences.
He explained that he had instructed Parliament’s administrative authorities to formally submit the review findings, together with all accompanying documents, to the Office of the Special Prosecutor and other relevant investigative institutions to facilitate further inquiries and establish the complete circumstances surrounding the allegations.
The Speaker also directed the Clerk to Parliament to safeguard all parliamentary records, official correspondence and other documentation associated with the examination and approval of the AKSA Emergency Power Agreement. He further instructed that these materials should be made accessible to the OSP and any other legally authorised investigative institution whenever requested.
Mr Bagbin maintained that the decision was underpinned by Parliament’s responsibility to uphold the same principles of openness, ethical conduct and institutional accountability that it expects from other public institutions, particularly when allegations of such gravity emerge.
Nevertheless, the Speaker disclosed that the internal review had not uncovered evidence establishing that any Member of Parliament or employee of the Parliamentary Service received the alleged financial inducement in connection with the agreement’s approval.
He clarified, however, that the absence of such evidence within the materials examined should not be interpreted as proof that the alleged payments never occurred or as an indication that any individual who might have received the money had been identified or exonerated.
According to him, the review was restricted by the nature and extent of the information available to Parliament, meaning that it could not conclusively determine whether the alleged financial transactions took place or establish the identities of any potential recipients.
Mr Bagbin consequently emphasised that resolving those outstanding questions would require investigations by the appropriate law enforcement authorities, including detailed scrutiny of financial transactions, communications and other evidence that falls outside Parliament’s investigative reach.
He therefore stressed that the administrative examination should not be regarded as the conclusive determination of the matter, adding that the referral to the OSP would allow the appropriate authorities to pursue the allegations and establish the facts through their independent investigative processes.
