Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has refuted publications that his office organised a meeting for the Parliamentary Service Board (PSB) in Dubai.
According to him, the publications are part of efforts to make the Speaker unpopular and subject the Parliamentary Service Board to public ridicule.
In a statement issued by the Office of the Speaker dated December, 22, the Head of the Speaker’s Communication, Mr. Peter Bamfo indicated that the allegations are false and should be disregarded.
“There has not been any meeting of the PSB in Dubai held at the instance and convenience of the Speaker of Parliament. The PSB participated in an international workshop and team-building exercise by the Crown Agents in Dubai.
“We entreat all well-meaning Ghanaians to disregard this misleading publication, which only seeks to traduce the Rt. Hon. Speaker’s character by negatively projecting him and the Parliamentary Service Board” the statement said.
Earlier, some online outlets reported that the Parliamentary Service Board had participated in a meeting approved by the Speaker.
According to the allegations, the Speaker deliberately scheduled this meeting during his medical trip to Dubai, to hurt the public purse.
But reacting to these allegations, Mr. Bamfo said, “It is worth noting that arrangement for the workshop predated the Speaker of Parliament’s medical trip to Dubai. It was initially planned for April, 2021 and was finally held in September, 2021. It had to be postponed a couple of times due to time constraints and availability of the members of the PSB. Consequently, the workshop and the Speaker’s medical trip had nothing in common”.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin failed to preside over proceedings on Monday, December 21. According to the Minority, the Speaker’s absence was ostensibly because, he had to go away and take his medications. But the Majority claimed that, the Speaker’s absence may have been part of a grand scheme by the Minority to frustrate government business.