Parliament explains ex gratia payment

Parliament on Tuesday said, though Members of Parliament (MPs) have received some payment effected in accordance with requirements under Article 71 of the Constitution, the payments did not cover only ex-gratia.

A statement issued by the Parliamentary Service and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said: “The payments also included salary arrears and other statutory payment.”

The statement said the attention of Parliament has been drawn to some distortions and misrepresentation in a section of the media regarding the payment of ex-gratia to members of the fifth Parliament.

“Parliament wishes to further state that although these payments have been due as far back as 2009, they were never paid in bulk.”

It said the payments were received in four tranches, the first installment being in November 2012, adding: “Parliament would therefore like to state these facts in the hope that they would appropriately guide ongoing discussions.”