Former Asante Akyem North MP, Andy Appiah-Kubi, has said the Appointments Committee should have probed activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor further to determine whether he had any evidence to support his bribery allegations.

However, he noted that the matter should be laid to rest since he had apologised for the issue.

“I would have thought that we [Appointments Committee] needed to probe him more if he had any evidence at all, but since they did not probe him and he offered to apologise, I think we should let matters rest.”

Speaking on Joy FM's Top Story on Wednesday, January 29, he stressed the need to take the vetting process more seriously, given the critical role Parliament plays in the appointment of ministers. He cited Article 78(1) of the Constitution, which mandates Parliament to scrutinise nominees before the President makes final appointments.

“If you look at it carefully, the President only nominates. It is Parliament that needs to interrogate the issues concerning that appointment for the President to appoint, so the greater part of the mandate rests with Parliament,” he explained.

Appiah-Kubi stressed that the vetting process should not be taken lightly, as it involves assessing a nominee’s background, integrity, competence, vision, and understanding of their role. He argued that members of the Appointments Committee have a duty to share such information with the public.

He further noted that Parliament has not been as thorough in vetting nominees as expected.

“When you are watching the proceedings, you see how the questions and responses come. We are not as diligent as one would have expected in probing the candidate for answers and demonstrating the understanding of the efficacy of the office, and also bringing out issues about how competent the person is.”

Mr Appiah-Kubi urged MPs to take their responsibility seriously, ensuring that nominees are rigorously scrutinised before approval, as this would help uphold transparency and accountability in governance.