40 Former MPs sue govt over pension pay

29th Mar 2017 | Source: Graphic Online

Yaw Osafo-Maafo - Senior Minister

Forty former Members of Parliament (MPs) have sued the government for GH?233,495 each, being their accrued monthly pension pay since January 2009.

The amount being claimed works out to GH?13,735 per person per month, but interest accrued during the 85 months raises the amount to GH?233,495 each.

With the suit filed at the Labour Division of the Accra High Court, the 40 former MPs are collectively demanding GH¢9,339,800 from the government.

The basis of the legal action by the 40 former MPs is the Chinnery-Hesse Presidential Emoluments Committee (PEC) which provides that parliamentarians who were 50 years and above and exited Parliament, having served two full terms, should be paid some sums of money as pension benefits.

Some notable names among the 40 former MPs who initiated the legal action are Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Dr Kwame Ampofo, Mr Kwamina Bartels, Mr Freddie Blay, Mr Kenneth Dzirasah, Ms Christine Churcher, Mr Isaac E. Edumadze and Mr Nkrabea Effah-Darteh.

Joined to the suit as defendants are the Attorney-General (A-G) and the Minister of Finance.

Distress

The plaintiffs, in their statement of claim, averred that since 2011 they had been negotiating with the government, through the Ministry of Finance and the leadership of Parliament, for aspects of the Chinnery-Hesse Committee report in relation to their pensions to be paid, but the negotiations, they claimed, had proved futile.

“Several attempts, demands or requests made on the government to have these pension benefits paid to the plaintiffs have proved futile,” they said.

According to the plaintiffs, based on a letter dated June 25, 2015, the A-G directed the Ministry of Finance to make payments to them but the ministry had “refused, neglected or failed to pay the said money to the plaintiffs”.

The action of the ministry, the former MPs added, continued to cause them distress, as most of them remained unemployed because of old age and were, therefore, unable to sustain their families.

They said being advanced in years had also come with various medical conditions, the management of which required daily doses of expensive medication.

The former MPs said on November 24, 2015, a notice to institute civil action was served on the state, but the A-G, apart from a letter dated December 22, 2015 which acknowledged its receipt of the suit, had failed to respond.

The disgruntled former legislators claimed that the conduct of the government showed that unless compelled by the courts, it was not ready to pay the pensions duly owed them.

The 40 former MPs are

1. David Apasera

2. Dr. Charles Brempong-Yeboah

3. Francis Aggrey Agbotese

4. Nii Adu Daku Mante

5. Kwame Adusa Okerchiri

6. Godfred Otchere

7. Moses Dani Baah

8. K. Brandford Adu

9. Victor Okuley Nortey

10. Yaw Barimah

11. Kwadwo Darko Adjei