Private legal practitioner and civil activist, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, is expected to make an appearance before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
The purpose of his appearance is to provide evidence to support a claim of bribery he has made against the members of the committee.
According to a letter addressed to the activist by Parliament, the summons by the committee is grounded in Article 103 (6) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 134 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
“The attention of the Appointments Committee has been drawn to a recent comment made by you on January 24, 2025, at 9:25 p.m. through your Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) accounts, which states: ‘So all the monies 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.’
"Additionally, you were also alleged to have made the statement as reported on January 25, 2025, on the political desk of GhanaToday, which stated: ‘NDC members on the Vetting Committee take money from Mahama's ministerial nominees before approving them. The Deputy Speaker must submit himself to ORAL,’” the letter quoted.
In an immediate response to the committee's decision to summon him, Barker-Vormawor took to his social media to express his readiness to meet the committee.
While not being clear on his line of defence, the activist underscored that his appearance will go a long way to improve Ghana’s democracy.
“This is how a democracy improves. I look forward to appearing before the Appointments Committee tomorrow. Thank you,” he wrote.
Even though the activist is yet to be officially charged with contempt of Parliament, history shows that persons invited by Parliament on similar grounds usually end up apologizing to the House for their actions.
However, Barker-Vormawor, who has a reputation for defending his viewpoints, especially on legal matters, may opt to justify his statement.
Aside from being a legal practitioner, the activist, who has had several brushes with the law, has always had a strong legal team in his corner.
The late Akoto Ampaw, a human rights activist and legal luminary, as well as the venerable Justice Sram Sai, have been known to be his legal representatives.
GA/EK
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