Accra, June 25, GNA - Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, Foreign Affairs Minister, on Thursday told Parliament that some Foreign Service officers, whose appointments were suspended and reviewed by the Transitional Team in January this year due to irregularities was a difficult decision for government.

He said investigations conducted by the International Relations sub committee of the Transitional Team, established that there was an arbitrary increase in the number of appointees from 30 to 40, which was against the budgetary advice of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

The Minister was responding to a question on the fate of some Foreign Service officers whose appointed had been revoked by the Transitional Team early this year.

Alhaji Mumuni said a selection board had been constituted to interview applicants who had been short listed on the basis of their performance in an examination as well as consideration of skills and requirements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He said 157 persons turned up out of the total of 173 applicants invited for the interview.

He said in March 2008, the interview panel recommended "30 interviewees for appointment."

The Minister however said 11 people were listed out of the 30 candidates for appointment as well as 22 other candidates who had taken part in the interview but could not make it into the first 30. "Additionally, seven other persons who did not participate in the interview at all were also included, bringing the total number out of the exercise to 40, instead of the 30 approved by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning."

He said the Transitional Team in January this year, advised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to suspend the appointments of the 40 pending an outcome into investigations.

The Minister said based on investigations which revealed irregularities, the Transitional Team in January advised that the Foreign Affairs Ministry should revert to the recommendations of the selection board and appoint the top 30 candidates who had passed upon the assumption of office of a substantive Minister of Foreign Affairs. "In accordance with this advice, the Ministry sought approval of the Head of Civil Service and subsequently appointed the first 30 candidates into the Branch of A5 grade with effect from April 2, 2009. It may be worth mentioning that all the affected persons, who did not make the final selection, were duly informed as to the reasons why they had not been reappointed.