Nana Akomea, Jerry and Dr Dominic Ayine
Several individuals, including lawmakers and civil society leaders, are pressuring the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, to disclose the identity of a Member of Parliament (MP) he claims was paid by the former Director-General of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Osei Assibey Antwi, to suppress the infamous “Ghost Names” scandal in the media.
According to these critics, the Attorney General’s revelation has left the nation in suspense, and they insist that full disclosure is necessary for accountability and transparency.
Second Deputy Minority Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, speaking in an interview on Joy News on March 25, 2025, urged the Attorney General to name the MP in question.
“Is the Attorney General seriously suggesting that an MP took money to kill a case in the media? Are you saying that if I have a matter to handle, I must go through an MP to bury it? That is ridiculous,” he stated.
Jerry Ahmed Shaib, who also serves as the Weija-Gbawe MP, challenged the Attorney General to provide evidence, arguing that vague accusations without proof were irresponsible.
“If he can say someone is in Senegal or South Africa and claim they can’t be retrieved, why can’t he name this MP? This is completely uncalled for,” he said.
Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, also demanded that the Attorney General reveal the name of the MP, citing the need for transparency and the protection of Parliament’s reputation.
“We call on the Attorney General to name the MP who was allegedly given money to kill the story. Doing so will be in the interest of transparency and will also protect the reputation of Parliament,” Braimah stated in a Facebook post.
Former Managing Director of the State Transport Corporation (STC), Nana Akomea, also criticized the Attorney General for withholding crucial information from the public while selectively revealing other details.
Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show on March 24, 2025, Akomea questioned the Attorney General’s approach, “You are still conducting investigations, so what is the rush in making such claims in the media?
“If you say money was given to a Member of Parliament to kill the story, then tell us who that MP is. If you want full disclosure, make everything public. Why would you hide certain information while revealing others? I don’t understand.”
During a press briefing on March 24, 2025, Dr Ayine alleged that NSS officials, including the Chief Executive Officer, made payments to a Ghanaian MP to influence the media and suppress investigations into the ghost names scandal.
He further disclosed that eight suspects had been interrogated and were cooperating with the investigation.
“Because these matters are still under investigation, I can confirm that the probe into the National Service Scheme and the Sky Train Scandal will conclude by mid-April, after which prosecutions will begin,” Dr Ayine stated.
“With the National Service scandal, eight suspects have been interrogated, and a good number of them have started talking. We now have evidence of payments made into the accounts of top NSS executives by private vendors of the scheme,” he added.
The Attorney General also revealed, “We have evidence that in November 2024, the CEO of the NSS and others paid a Ghanaian Member of Parliament to kill the story in the media and defend them.”
AM/KA
Meanwhile, catch the first in the series of our special episodes on Forgotten Forts on People and Places on GhanaWeb TV below. This episode focuses on Fort Amsterdam at Abandze:
