Appiagyei denies GH¢70,000 payment claim, describes memo as fake

Deputy Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Asokwa, Patricia Appiagyei, has rejected allegations that she received or discussed GH¢70,000 in connection with the vetting of ministerial nominees.

Mrs Appiagyei described a purported memorandum linking her to the alleged payment as fake, insisting that she had no knowledge of the document or the transaction.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, September 4, she said the memo came as a surprise to her, adding that she had not paid much attention to the issue because she was attending a funeral.

“I don’t know anything about the memo. It was absolutely news to me. I didn’t know what was happening, but because of the funeral, I didn’t pay much attention to it.”

Her comments follow the circulation of a document purportedly dated September 2, 2026, and addressed to Minority Chief Whip and Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP, Frank Annoh-Dompreh.

The document allegedly associates Mrs Appiagyei with GH¢70,000 said to have been allocated in relation to the work of Parliament’s Appointments Committee.

The Asokwa MP also denied having any discussions with her party leader or anyone else regarding money connected to the vetting of ministerial nominees.

Asked whether she had discussed the alleged payment with her party leader, she responded: “No. What I am telling you, actually, it’s fake news. So that is what it is.”

Mrs Appiagyei said she found the purported memo unusual and could not understand its source or basis.

“To be honest with you, I found it to be totally strange and something that I could not fathom where it should be coming from.”

She further insisted that she did not receive any money during the vetting exercise, noting that members of the Appointments Committee were fully engaged with their parliamentary responsibilities.

According to her, the committee members had little opportunity to engage in anything outside their official duties.

“We started off in the morning with the press conference. We couldn’t even find the time to do anything. We were only serious mentioning our issues on a matter of principle,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has begun a preliminary investigation into the alleged GH¢70,000 payment reportedly offered to Mrs Appiagyei in connection with the vetting of ministerial and Supreme Court nominees.

The probe follows the controversy surrounding the purported payment and the memo which allegedly links the Asokwa MP to the transaction.