Chairperson of Parliament’s Vetting Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, has denied allegations that members of the committee receive money or gifts from nominees appearing before them.

According to the Member of Parliament for Akatsi South, the committee has maintained a firm position against any form of financial inducement involving nominees who come before it.

Ahiafor said since he became Chairperson of the committee, neither he nor any other member has accepted money from a nominee.

'I don't know the source' – Deputy Minority Leader returns GH¢70k 'gift' for Appointments Committee members

He explained that nominees are regularly cautioned against allowing anyone to approach them with financial requests on behalf of members of the committee.

“So far as I am concerned as a Chairperson of the Vetting Committee, I admonish all the nominees that nobody should come to them with issues relating to money and they'll pass it to anybody,” he said on TV3's Daily Brief on Friday, September 4, 2026.

“Ever since I assumed the position as the Chairman of the Vetting Committee, we've not taken anything from any nominee that appears before us,” he stated.

His comments come amid controversy over a purported memorandum allegedly signed by Deputy Minority Leader and Asokwa MP Patricia Appiagyei.

The document, which has been circulating publicly, allegedly suggests that Appiagyei returned GH¢70,000 said to have been given to her by the Majority Chief Whip in connection with the vetting of two ministerial nominees and three Supreme Court nominees.

Ahiafor has welcomed the decision by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to investigate the matter, saying the facts surrounding the allegation must be established.

“The OSP should probe into the matter and let's see what will happen,” he added.

The OSP has since commenced a preliminary investigation into the authenticity of the purported memorandum, the source of the alleged funds and the purpose for which the money was allegedly provided.

The anti-corruption agency has also invited Appiagyei to assist with its investigation.

According to the OSP, the contents of the purported memorandum raise concerns because they allegedly cast doubt on the source of the funds and suggested: “that it had the hallmarks of extortion of the nominees.”

Meanwhile, Second Deputy Minority Whip and Weija-Gbawe MP Jerry Ahmed Shaib has rejected the allegation involving Appiagyei.

He said he had spoken to the Deputy Minority Leader, who was reportedly upset by the circulation of the document and denied knowledge of both its source and the signature attributed to her.

“There is no truth whatsoever in that story. I have spoken particularly to my Deputy Minority Leader, who has been very upset by the seeming whatever is going round. She doesn’t even understand it, and she is very upset,” Jerry Ahmed Shaib said on Friday, September 4 2026.

The controversy has triggered calls for the circumstances surrounding the purported payment and memorandum to be properly investigated, with Ahiafor insisting that the OSP’s probe should help establish what actually occurred.

NA/AM