The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) has lauded Parliament for the ongoing bi-partisan probe into the ‘cash-for-seat’ saga but warns Minority MPs will lose face if their corruption claims are false.

The Executive Director of GII, Linda Ofori-Kwafo, believes in order for the alleging MPs to be taken seriously next time, their damaging claims against the Trades Ministry and a private firm, must check out.

The Minority MPs called for the probe claiming that the Ministry of Trade and the Millennium Excellence Foundation (MEF), the private company, charged expatriate business owners huge sums of money for a chance to sit on the same table as President Akufo-Addo during an awards ceremony.

MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, said the documents he has sighted about the deal point to extortion by the Ministry of Trade and MEF, the awards organizers.

“That matter goes beyond corruption. It is an allegation of corruption. Because until the investigations are finished, we wouldn’t be able to tell if any act of corruption happened. But it is a broader conflict of interest and governance issue and also points to the fact there are still gaps in our law...

“If at the end of the day nothing untoward is found, we will also be disappointed in those who raised these issues using words like ‘extortion’...and so,” she said.

She made the comments during a discussion on the fight against corruption on current affairs programme, PM Express, on the Joy News channel (MultiTV).

Meanwhile, the latest on the ongoing probe is that ten members of the expatriate community were interrogated in-camera on Tuesday.

Reports indicate that the expatriates appeared before the Committee today, [Tuesday], and were grilled for close to three hours.

Akufo-Addo goofed

The anti-graft campaigner also commented on a recent response by President Nana Akufo-Addo on the ongoing probe.

The President had said he was confident that his Ministers were not corrupt and the ongoing cash-for-seat probe will not justify corruption allegations against the Trade Ministry.

However, many have said the President's comment was not encouraging and may pre-empt damaging findings in the report of the five-member bipartisan committee.

Mrs Ofori-Kwafo described Nana Akufo-Addo's response as unfortunate.

"It was unfortunate the President made some statements early on. Because he said he has done his own interviewing. It was not an enquiry, it was an investigation so he is convinced that nothing happened.

"It is unfortunate the President made those statements. He is entitled to [his opinions] but at least from where he sits must be able restraint himself," she said.

Watch more in the video below.