Questions have been raised over the credibility of the probe into an alleged GH¢70,000 payment linked to the parliamentary vetting of ministerial and Supreme Court nominees, with calls for other state institutions to independently examine the matter.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has commenced preliminary investigations to establish whether the alleged payment was made, its source and the circumstances surrounding it.

The controversy followed the circulation of a purported memorandum attributed to Deputy Minority Leader and Asokwa MP Patricia Appiagyei, which claimed that she had returned GH¢70,000 allegedly given to her as an advance by the Majority Chief Whip in connection with the vetting exercise.

Mrs Appiagyei has denied the alleged bribery attempt and has described the circulating memorandum as fabricated.

The disputed claims have nevertheless triggered calls for a thorough probe to determine whether any payment was made, who may have made it, its intended purpose and whether any parliamentary rules or laws were breached.

Speaking to Channel One TV on Saturday, September 5, NPP Communications Team member Kwasi Kwarteng expressed reservations about the OSP’s ability to independently establish the facts.

“No, I don’t trust OSP. The current office, in this current form, in this current state, it’s not something that I have so much confidence in,” he said.

Mr Kwarteng, however, insisted that the allegations must not be allowed to go unresolved and called for broader institutional scrutiny.

“The most important thing is that there ought to be an investigation to get to the root of this matter. Even if OSP is investigating, there should also be other bodies that can investigate the same,” he said, while urging Ghanaians to demand a credible probe into the controversy.