P.C. Appiah-Ofori hacks Kofi Wayo for calling MPs corrupt

Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa MP, Appiah-Ofori         Anti-corruption campaigner, P.C. Appiah-Ofori has rejected suggestions by political maverick, Kofi Wayo that Members of Parliament are corrupt and criminals. He said Mr Wayo's comments were idiotic, unwarranted and intolerable. P.C Appiah Ofori, who is the Member of Parliament for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, in a dramatic fashion retracted his condemnation of Members of Parliament whom he accused of taking $5000 dollars for approving the sale of government's 70 per cent take in the then Ghana Telecom to Vodafone, saying they did no wrong in taking the money. He said their action cannot amount to corruption because, "gifts given to a person after performing a duty does not constitute corruption". According to him, the amount given was a hand shake for a good work done even though he still maintains the Vodafone deal was a wrong deal. “Every NPP MP who took part in the approval of the Vodafone deal knew in their hearts that, they took 5,000 dollars from the former chief of staff”, he alleged. He said he did not have any evidence that the money came from Vodafone but believes strongly that the UK telecoms giant coughed up the money. P.C Appiah Ofori made this statement in an interview with Ekourba Gyasi on Adom Dwaso Nsem on Tuesday. He was reacting to comments made by the Leader of the United Renaissance Party (URP) Chuck Kofi Wayo, who described members of Ghana’s law making body as a bunch of self-seeking individuals, who are mostly criminals. When the Asikuma Odoben Brakwa MP was asked whether as an anti-corruption campaigner, he thought some MPs are corrupt as claimed by Kofi Wayo, he responded in the negative emphasising that, it could not be true because as far as he knows, no parliamentarian had been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction to have engaged in any corrupt practice. Mr Appiah Ofori said the often cited cases of the former MP for Nkoransah North, Eric Amoateng who is languishing in jail in the United states over cocaine, Nana Amoako, NPP MP for Upper Denkyira who is been sought in the United States for insurance fraud, and Mr Twumasi Appiah, NDC MP for Sene, who is standing trial for his involvement in a gold scam were not enough to warrant a suggestion that MPs are corrupt. The Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa MP took Kofi Wayo on and described him as an idiot who should not be tolerated. He said he shared the view of the Minority Leader who said Parliament should not glorify statements from lunatics and idiots. Story:Kojo Addo/Adomonline.com/Ghana