The Office of the Special Prosecutor has indicated that it has identified the businessman who was accused of attempting to bribe Majority Caucus Members of Parliament (MPs), who were demanding that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo sacks his Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
In a redacted report signed by the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, and sighted by GhanaWeb, the OSP, however, indicated that it cannot go on with the criminal prosecution of the said businessman, whose name it withheld, because of the lack of collaboration by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs.
The OSP particularly bemoaned the lack of cooperation of the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, who it described as the main accuser in its probe.
“The OSP is almost convinced that Mr XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX is the businessman who attempted to offer to a section of the majority caucus of Parliament with the intention of influencing their demand for the resignation or removal of Mr Ofori-Atta as Minister for Finance. It appears to the OSP that Mr Appiah-Kubi is the accuser and the vital key to resolving the case.
“… Mr Appiah-Kubi’s refusal to cooperate with the investigation and his refusal to disclose the identity of the suspect are most regrettable. It is quite perplexing for a Member of Parliament to level accusations of attempted bribery on a person (whether certain or uncertain) in a most spectacular and public manner on a network of a major media house and then stage a bizarre volte-face by refusing to cooperate with the investigation and refusing to disclose and/or confirm the identity of the suspect,” part of the report reads.
The OSP stated that the said business denied meeting NPP MPs to induce them as alleged by Appiah-Kubi and corroborated by the Majority Leader and the MP for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in media interviews.
“The enhanced investigation pointed seemingly irresistibly to Mr. XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX, a well-known wealthy Ghanaian businessman. The OSP located Mr. XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX and brought him in for interviewing. Mr XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX prevaricated on whether he attended Parliament House circa 1 October 2022. He denied ever meeting a section of Members of Parliament and offering them money to abort their demand for the resignation or removal of Mr Ofori-Atta. However, it was established that he frequently attends Parliament House.”
It added that its interrogation of the suspect businessman and Appiah-Kubi showed that they were scheming to deny the bribery allegation.
“It seems to the OSP that the responses by Mr Appiah-Kubi and Mr XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX appear to be rehearsed and well-choreographed to produce a joint and similar denial of the events so vividly captured by Mr Appiah-Kubi in his interview with Joy FM,” it said.
On the way forward, the OSP indicated that Special Prosecutor Agyebeng has directed that the investigation into the matter should be closed because criminal proceedings against the suspect businessman would be useless at this time.
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Read the full redacted report below:
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