Recommendation to pay presidential spouses a poor judgment from Committee

Legal practitioner, Martin Luther Kpebu, has said the proposition made by the Emoluments Committee to pay salaries to presidential spouses was a “poor judgement.”

Mr. Kpebu says “there is no basis for spousal emoluments in law” –which should have guided the Professor Yaa Ntiamoah Baidu led Presidential Committee on Emoluments in their recommendations.

He says the offices by virtue of the prestige attached to them make millions of dollars themselves, the reason the Emoluments Committee’s recommendation to pay them salaries wasn’t a good call.

Mr. Kpebu, who is also the Executive Director of the Human Rights and Governance Centre, says the hard economic conditions necessitated the backlash that confronted the proposal — the reason the Committee should have done better.

He avers a statement made by ex-president John Agyekum Kufuor affirms the offices of the first citizens of the state generate income by their pedigree.

“…Practically they make more money than we think. Kufuor said companies fall over themselves bringing gifts ‘waawaawaa’. So we shouldn’t have gone there [proposing salaries] at all,” he told Samson Lardy Anyenini on JoyNews’ NewsFile Saturday, July 17, 2021, whilst Ghanasonline.com monitored.

Also, he said a lot of Ghanaians are complaining of economic hardship and making that recommendation was in bad light.

Article 71 (1) and (2) of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that the determination of the salaries and allowances of the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary paid from the Consolidated Fund would be determined by the President, on the recommendations of a committee of not more than five persons appointed by him and acting upon the advice of the Council of State.

Article 71 office holders include the President, the Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court.

The rest are Members of Parliament (MPs), Ministers of State, political appointees and public servants with salaries charged to the Consolidated Fund but enjoying special constitutional privileges.

Source: Ghanasonline.com