The Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has raised procedural issues regarding the summoning of Oliver Barker-Vormawor.
According to him, the Vetting Committee holds no legal right to adjudicate the matter, and the most prudent thing to do is to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee.
Barker-Vormawor, who was in the company of his lawyer, Nana Ato Arthur, admitted to the post on his Facebook page, which said ‘’So all the money the ministerial appointees are being asked to pay to the Appointments Committee just to get approved, are those ones not affected by ORAL? Strange Republic”.
He, however, denied the second post, which read,’NDC members on the vetting committee take money from Mahama’s ministerial nominee before approving them. The deputy speaker must submit to ORAL’’.
The minority members on the committee demanded to question Barker-Vormawor, but Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor said the committee was not a court of law to be demanding Barker-Vormawor answer direct questions.
He stated that the best approach was for the committee to direct the matters to the Privileges Committee so they would continue with their vetting processes.
‘’There is nothing like a preliminary hearing in matters like this. This committee itself has made a determination in pursuance of Order 40, 44, 32, Order 30, 31 Sub rule H that the contents that are the subject of this proceeding as we speak are already in contempt of parliament. So this matter must be disgorged and hyped off to the Committee of Privileges. We are not mandated; we cannot deal with this matter. ‘’We cannot make that determination. Our mandate under 217 is to vet presidential nominees. This is not the Privileges Committee. Let the committee that is mandated under our standing orders in the constitution be faced with this matter. They have the jurisdiction to go into the merits of this matter. We can be invited as witnesses before that committee to bear witness either against him or in support of his case, whichever is applicable. But as we speak, we are spending our precious hours dealing with the matter that we don’t have the mandate to deal with.’’
He admitted they have the power to invite and put it to Barker-Vormawor that he was in contempt, but going into the merits should be reserved for the Privileges Committee, insisting that what is being done by the committee was procedurally improper.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
