Today can confirm that ten members of the expatriate community in Ghana have been interrogated in-camera by the 5 member ad-hoc bi-partisan committee probing the ‘Cash-For-Seat’ allegations.
According to our sources , the expatriates appeared before the Committee on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 and were grilled for close to three hours.
The content of the interrogation, according to our sources is now unknown, and may only be available when the Committee finally presents its report.
The source added that, about ten more of the expatriates are also expected to appear before the Committee this week.
At the Committee’s last sitting on January 16, 2018, the Committee suspended sitting because none of the expatriates invited to testify showed up.
According to Chairman of the Committee, Kwasi Ameyaw Cheremeh, although they had written official letters to the expatriates to appear before them, none showed up. As a result, the sitting was adjourned indefinitely.
It may thus come as a surprise that whilst many were expecting the expatriates to turn up for the public hearing; the Committee chose to have that session in-camera.
There had been initial reports that the expatriates were unwilling to appear publicly to be interrogated, in their quest to protect their businesses in a highly political matter such as this.
This perhaps explains why the Committee did not announce its intention to have an in-camera hearing to the media.
The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, in an interview with journalists stated that, the expatriates had pleaded with the Committee to allow them an in-camera hearing, a request that had been granted.
“The Chief Whip for the Majority who’s the chairman of the Committee, informed myself and the Minority Leader that they had run into a bit of a roadblock, in the sense that, some of the businesses that they invited, had indicated that they wouldn’t want to sit in public, and they would want some in-camera meeting. It’s for the Committee to determine, and the Committee I think has agreed they will meet them in-camera and hear from them, which is why when we met today [Tuesday] morning at the business committee level, I informed the Minority Leader of the Committee’s application, and we all agreed that we should grant them an extension in order for them to be able to report by latest Wednesday, 31st of January”.
Meanwhile, the Committee has been given a one-week extension after they requested for additional time. They are now to present their report on January 31, 2018, instead of the original date of January 24.
Story: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Writer’s email: franklinasare.donkoh@todaygh.com