Two of the four Members of Parliament named in the UK visa fraud allegation are angry with the reports and have turned to their lawyers for advice.
One of them, Richard Acheampong who is MP for Bia East insists the claims by Jon Benjamin are misleading.
He has therefore instructed his lawyers to take up the matter and issue a statement, Joy News Editor Evans Mensah reported the MP as saying. He however did not name the other MP who is also considering legal option.
Four Members of Parliament were accused by the British High Commission of breaching UK’s immigration policy.
In a letter written to Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Jon Benjamin said Richard Acheampong, MP for Bia East in the Western Region, Joseph Benhazin Dahah, MP for Asutifi North in the Bono Ahafo region, Johnson Kwaku Adu, MP for Ahafo Ano South West, in the Ashanti Region and George Boakye, former MP for Asunafo South in the Bono Ahafo region exploited their privileged positions in Parliament by using their diplomatic passports to secure visas for other people some of whom have gone missing in the UK.
He said in the letter which was intercepted by Joy FM, that the UK is considering taking punitive action against the MPs.
But some of the accused MPs are angry with the report.
The two who are seeking legal opinion on the matter are not the only ones angry with the reports about the UK visa fraud allegation against them.
Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu is saddened by the conduct of the British High Commissioner.
According to him, Jon Benjamin had prior discussion with him in respect of the visa fraud allegations levelled against the MPs and had come to the conclusion that they both will investigate the matter. He found it worrying that even before the investigation will commence Jon Benjamin has written to the Speaker about the same matter, the fact of which is in contention.
According to him, apart from the four MPs Jon Benjamin cited in the letter, he mentioned three others in the discussion who he alleged were also complicit in the visa fraud and were under investigation.
Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said when he confronted two of the three MPs mentioned they both flatly denied the allegation.
He said one of them completely contradicted the information given by the High Commissioner.
The other person, whose name he did not mention got angry and confronted the High Commissioner, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu intimated.
According to the Majority Leader, one of the four named by the High Commissioner George Boakye, also denied claims that he used his diplomatic passport to secure the visa for his wife and daughter.
He explained Mr Boakye as saying that he travelled with the wife and daughter to the UK but the daughter absconded and has since been living in the UK.
The Majority Leader reported Mr Boakye as saying that several attempts to get her daughter to return has proved futile.
Mr Boakye however insisted that he did not use a diplomatic passport to secure the visa and was not even an MP at the time he got the visas for his wife and daughter.
He found it rather worrying that the High Commissioner will accuse him of abusing his diplomatic passport.
Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said now that the High Commissioner has decided to proceed to the Speaker he will wash his hands off the matter and wait for the Speaker to intervene.
The Speaker Prof Mike Oquaye is currently out of the country, the Majority Leader stated.
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