Special committee presents Bagbin bribery allegation report to Speaker

• Posted on October 7, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The special parliamentary committee that was constituted to investigate an allegation of bribery leveled against parliamentarians has presented its report to the Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Edward Doe Adjaho.

Disclosing this to the Daily Graphic in an interview, the Deputy Majority Leader of Parliament, Mr Alfred Kwame Agbesi, said the report would be laid before the House, when it resumes sitting either on October 21 or November 4, 2014.

He said following the allegation of bribery made by Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, who is currently the Majority Leader, the Speaker set up a committee of leadership from both sides of the house to conduct investigations into the matter.

“The report was not to be brought to the floor of the House. It was to be given to the Speaker, who, in his wisdom, would decide that the matter should be brought to the floor. But as it was raised in the House, the House definitely needs to know the outcome so when we come back in October or thereabout or early November, the Speaker will inform us about the outcome of the investigations,” Mr Agbesi said.

He, however, submitted that, “What prompted Bagbin to make that statement was cleared by the committee and there is nothing alarming which we should worry about and so far as leadership is concerned, the Speaker has given us a hint that everything is okay.”

‘Bagbin never collapsed’

Speaking to reporters on the collapse of Mr Bagbin during an emergency sitting on October 2, Mr Alfred Agbesi stated, “He never collapsed. Most newspapers reported that he collapsed;  it is not true.

“He only showed signs of tiredness and people felt that being a leader and we were going to have a marathon sitting, he needed to have medical attention before sitting would begin.”

“After addressing the meeting, he left and I also left to see the Speaker in his office. I was in the Speaker’s office when I was told that Bagbin had showed signs that he was not feeling well and so three MPs had accompanied him to the hospital, including Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh  (Manhyia South).”

He said few minutes later the MPs returned with the news that Mr Bagbin was responding to treatment and that some tests were being carried on him, all of which turned out negative later. So after further observation for about 30 minutes, he was discharged.

–Daily Graphic