Barker-Vormawor Clears the Air on Bribery Allegations, Denies Targeting Appointments Committee
Barker-Vormawor Explains Bribery Allegations, Denies Targeting Parliamentary Committee
- Oliver Barker-Vormawor has sought to clarify his recent social media post regarding bribery allegations
- The controversy erupted when Barker-Vormawor posted a comment on social media
- Barker-Vormawor’s clarification comes as Parliament continues to uphold its commitment to transparency
Activist and legal practitioner Oliver Barker-Vormawor has sought to clarify his recent social media post regarding bribery allegations, insisting that he did not intend to accuse the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
The controversy erupted when Barker-Vormawor posted a comment on social media suggesting that ministerial appointees were being asked to pay bribes for approval. His post read: “So all the monies the ministerial appointees are being asked to pay to the Appointments Committee just to get approved, are those ones not affected by ORAL? Strange Republic.”
Many interpreted his post as an accusation directed at the Appointments Committee, which led to public backlash and a strong defense of the committee’s integrity.
In response to the uproar, Barker-Vormawor, through his lawyer Nana Ato Dadzie, clarified during his appearance before the Appointments Committee on January 29, 2025, that his remarks were not aimed at the committee’s members. Instead, he stressed that the comments were meant to address wider concerns about corruption and lack of transparency in Ghana’s political system.
“The statement was not directed at the Appointments Committee at all,” Dadzie explained. “What Barker-Vormawor intended to highlight were broader issues of corruption and transparency that have come to his attention. The statement was a call for greater accountability, not a specific attack on the committee.”
Dadzie further clarified that Barker-Vormawor’s post had a dual meaning and was meant to bring attention to unethical practices, not to cast aspersions on the work of the committee.
“It was never his intention to disparage the committee. The statement had multiple interpretations. Ultimately, it was meant to shed light on certain actions that, in his view, do not align with the values of transparency and fairness,” he added.
Barker-Vormawor’s clarification comes as Parliament continues to uphold its commitment to transparency, accountability, and due process in the vetting of ministerial nominees.
