Former Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Hon. Sampson Ahi wants the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of Ghana Police Service to also invite for questioning, all NPP MPs who double as Ministers for taking rent allowance but are still residing in government bungalows.
According to the Bodi lawmaker, what is good for the goose is equally good for the gander and so if the CID has invited former ministers who served under former President John Mahama for receiving double salary as Ministers and MPs, then the department should equally call the current NPP Ministers who took rent allowances as MPs and are still occupying government bungalows for questioning.
Speaking to Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, the NDC MP averred that “I’m throwing a challenge to the CID to look into the matter of NPP MPs who are serving as Ministers and staying in government bungalows; the CID should find out whether they took rent allowances as MPs”.
He reiterated that President Akufo-Addo and the NPP government want to denigrate and victimise the former ministers who served under former President Mahama; hence this orchestration of double salary making news in the airwaves.
He revealed that the Minority has a full list of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament who took rent allowance of Ghc90, 000 for four years but are currently staying in state bungalows; “we are prepared to give the full list to the CID to investigate.
“We should allow institutions to work and so if the CID is investigating double salary, then it should also investigate double rent; both are wrong, if it is not political victimization, this government wants to use the CID to carry out”, he asserted.
A couple of former government appointees in the erstwhile Mahama-led administration have been frothing with rage over allegations that they received double salaries as MPs and also as Ministers or Deputy Ministers.
They accuse the government of intimidation and have vowed to resist attempts to use the security agencies to witch-hunt them.
While some analyst argue the double payments may have arisen from lack of synchronisation of the payment systems for MPs and ministers, others say the anomaly occurred because it is a normal custom being practiced by every set of government.
Whilst the Parliamentary Service pays MPs, the Controller and Accountant General’s department pays ministers and their deputies.
Even though the Criminal Investigations Department is already looking into the double salary saga, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has indicated that Parliament has set up two-member committee to address the challenge amicably.
Source: peacefmonline.com