James Agalga, the Member of Parliament for Builsa North and the Chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee in Parliament, has criticized the former Director General of the National Signals Bureau, Kwabena Adu Boahene, for making making baseless against the Committee.
Mr. Agalga in a press statement said, his attention has been drawn to a publication on social media by a former MP for Akim Abuakwa South and lawyer for the embattled former Director General of the National Signals Bureau, Kwabena Adu Boahene, which suggests that an amount of Ghc 960,000 was paid to the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament as MP’s allowance to facilitate the enactment of the National Signals Bureau Act,2020 ( Act1040).
The current chairman and former Ranking on the Committee has categorically denied what he called “the spurious claims” made by the said Adu Boahene through his lawyer.
Below is the full statement:
BRIBERY ALLEGATION AGAINST PARLIAMENT AND ITS DEFENCE AND INTERIOR COMMITTEE BY ADU BOAHENE BASELESS AND AN ACT OF DESPERATION.
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My attention has been drawn to a publication on social media by a former MP for Akim Abuakwa South and lawyer for the embattled former Director General of the National Signals Bureau, Kwabena Adu Boahene, which suggests that an amount of Ghc 960,000 was paid to the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament as MP’s allowance to facilitate the enactment of the National Signals Bureau Act,2020 ( Act1040).
As the current chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament who also served as the Ranking Member of the same committee at the time parliament considered and duly enacted the National Signals Bureau Act, 2020 ( Act 1040), I deem it fit and appropriate to categorically deny the spurious claims made by the said Adu Boahene through his lawyer. In doing so, I shall rely on the following facts;
The National Signals Bureau was established in 2020 following the passage by parliament of the National Signals Bureau Act, 2020( Act 1040) in the latter part of 2020. At the time of the passage of Act 1040, Hon Seth Acheampong, former MP for Mpraeso, was the chairman, whilst I served as the ranking member. In view of the fact that the National Signals Bureau, the agency Adu Boahene subsequently headed as Director General, was nonexistent before the passage of Act 1040, it is not possible that he could have facilitated the passage of the said Act by paying monies to the Defence and Interior Comittee. To further elucidate the point, Adu Boahene became Director General long after the passage of Act 1040 and could not, therefore, have drawn monies from the accounts of an agency that was not even in existence.
In fact, I only got to know Adu Boahene sometime in April or May 2021 when he appeared for the first time before our committee and was introduced to us by Hon Albert Kan Dapaah, the minister for National Security at the time as the newly appointed Director General of the National Signals Bureau long after the passage of Act 1040.
It is also of crucial importance to note that throughout the period of the enactment of Act 1040, the committee dealt with the minister for national security, Albert Kan Dapaah, who was the principal sponsor of the Bill, and Mr Joshua Kyeremeh, of blessed memory who was the national security coordinator. In effect, the committee had nothing to do with Adu Boahene at the time parliament enacted Act 1040 and, as such, could not have received monies from him in furtherance of anything.
Signed
James Agalga, MP, Builsa North, and the Chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament.
