New Patriotic Party (NPP) member Razak Kojo Opoku has called on the government to withhold ex-gratia payments to former government appointees until outstanding obligations to other groups, including NABCO beneficiaries, teachers, nurses and bondholders, have been settled.
Dr Opoku also proposed a 70 per cent reduction in the ex-gratia payments due former appointees of the previous administration, arguing that they should experience the financial difficulties faced by pensioners and bondholders.
In a social media post, he said the government should prioritise settling outstanding payments before releasing ex-gratia to former political office holders.
“The government should continue to withhold the ex-gratia payment to former appointees until NABCO beneficiaries, teachers, nurses and bondholders are fully paid,” he said.
He further proposed that the government apply a 70 per cent “haircut” to the ex-gratia of all former appointees.
According to Dr Opoku, such a measure would enable the former appointees to “have a feel of what pensioners and bondholders went through.”
He also called for former appointees who had travelled outside the country to evade accountability to be excluded from receiving ex-gratia payments.
His comments come amid renewed concerns over outstanding payments to former appointees, following a threat by a former government appointee’s legal counsel to take legal action against the government over unpaid arrears.
The lawyer has reportedly written to the Ministry of Finance, giving it an ultimatum to settle the outstanding amount.
