The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has categorically denied allegations by former special prosecutor Martin Amidu suggesting that the Speaker had a clandestine meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in Dubai in 2021, prior to the rejection of the 2022 budget.
A statement by the Office of the Speaker called on Mr Amidu to retract his statements and offer an apology to the speaker. It warned that failure to do so would compel the speaker to take all necessary steps within his rights to protect his reputation.
“The said publication is false, baseless and unfounded, and should be treated with the contempt it deserves.”
“The Rt. Hon, Speaker requests Mr. Amidu to do the honourable thing and withdraw his statements and apologise unreservedly to the Speaker of Parliament and indeed the Parliament of Ghana, with the same prominence as he made the false and malicious statements, within seven days from the date of the release of this rejoinder. The failure of Mr Amidu to adhere to this request would leave the Rt. Hon. Speaker to no other option than to take all steps necessary within his rights to vindicate his name.”
The Office further stated that these false allegations are part of a deliberate and calculated attempt by certain individuals to tarnish the reputation of the Speaker of Parliament. However, it assured that such attempts would not succeed.
The statement also highlighted Mr Bagbin’s long-standing record of distinguished and honest public service to Ghana and his unwavering commitment to prioritising the interests of the Ghanaian people.
“The Rt Hon Speaker will not be deterred from carrying out his public service duties, guiding and providing leadership for Parliament even in the face of insinuations, unprovoked attacks and unfounded allegations like Mr. Amidu’s.”
“Mr. Martin Amidu must appreciate that the decisions taken on the floor of parliament is an extension of the voices of the citizens by the legislators who represent them distinctively,” the statement added.
The Office clarified that the Speaker of Parliament, unlike the Deputy Speakers, does not vote in Parliament and therefore does not participate in its decisions. This is a fact clearly stated in the 1992 Constitution and affirmed by decisions of the Supreme Court of Ghana.
“To re-state, it is false, malicious and a fabrication by Mr. Martin Amidu that the Speaker of Parliament had secretly met with the President before the rejection of the 2021 Budget. The Speaker has not met the President in Dubai or anywhere else outside the Republic of Ghana.”
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