Patricia Appiagyei Denies "Fake" Memo as OSP Probes Alleged GH¢70,000 Vetting Payment

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has launched a preliminary investigation into allegations of extortion and corruption involving Members of Parliament following the emergence of a controversial memorandum. The document, dated early September, suggests that Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei received and subsequently returned a GH¢70,000 payment linked to the parliamentary vetting of ministerial and Supreme Court nominees. While the OSP seeks to verify the authenticity of the memo and the source of the purported funds, Mrs. Appiagyei has categorically denied the claims, labeling the document as a "fake" fabrication intended to sow discord within the Minority Caucus and smear her reputation.

The controversy surfaced shortly after the Minority Caucus, led by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), staged a boycott of the Appointments Committee’s vetting of three Supreme Court nominees. Minority leadership argued the process was being "rushed" without adequate notice or public participation, disrupting established parliamentary norms. The contested memo alleged that the GH¢70,000 was an advance from the Majority Chief Whip, which Mrs. Appiagyei reportedly rejected due to discomfort over its source. However, Mrs. Appiagyei has clarified that she neither authored the document nor received any such payment, suggesting that her signature may have been forged using modern technology.

Supporting this denial, the Chairperson of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, and the Second Deputy Minority Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, have both dismissed the bribery allegations. Mr. Ahiafor maintained that the committee has never accepted gifts or financial inducements from nominees, while Mr. Shaib emphasized that no member of the Minority leadership had been handed such funds. Despite these denials, anti-corruption watchdogs, including Transparency International Ghana (TI-Ghana) and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), have called for full disclosure. They argue that the recurring nature of such allegations—this being the third major bribery claim against the Appointments Committee in recent years—threatens to erode public confidence in the legislature's oversight role.

As the OSP proceeds with its inquiry, Mrs. Appiagyei has expressed her readiness to cooperate with investigators despite not yet receiving a formal invitation. The investigation is expected to focus on the origins of the memorandum and whether it represents an actual attempt at extortion or a calculated political maneuver to destabilize the opposition. Meanwhile, legal experts and civil society groups are urging Parliament to establish a clear, binding framework to govern financial dealings and benefits associated with committee work to prevent future integrity crises. The outcome of this probe will be a critical test for the OSP and the parliamentary leadership under the current administration of President John Mahama.