The People’s Alliance for Governance and Accountability (PAGA) has petitioned Parliament to launch an internal investigation following disclosures in a United States criminal prosecution that kickbacks were paid to Ghanaian lawmakers during the 2015 ratification of the AKSA Emergency Power Agreement.
In a formal press statement, the civil society group pointed out that 18 Members of Parliament (MPs) served on the Mines and Energy Committee during the Third Session of the Sixth Parliament in 2015, when the power deal was reviewed and recommended for approval.
"There is now evidence accepted in a United States criminal prosecution that money was paid to some Members of Ghana's Parliament in connection with a transaction that Parliament was constitutionally required to scrutinize and approve," PAGA stated. "Our legislative body must identify who received it."
PAGA urged parliamentary leadership to establish a non-partisan committee or dedicated mechanism to examine the records, summon relevant officials, and hold implicated individuals accountable.
"Parliament must demonstrate that it can investigate allegations concerning its own members with the same seriousness with which it scrutinizes the conduct of other public officials," the statement added.
Emphasizing that its objective is transparency rather than pre-judging guilt outside a court of law, PAGA urged law enforcement and state institutions to follow up with criminal prosecutions where appropriate, adding that "Ghana deserves nothing less" than full accountability.
