First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo has refunded back all Allowance received from 2017 till date in Bank of Ghana consolidated bank account.
She has finally returned Ghc899,097.
Issuing a Cheque Number 00002, the First Lady has returned every pessewa that was paid into her account from 7 January 2017 till 30 June 2021.
She has also directed for stoppage of future payments of such in any manner.
In a statement released, signed by Shirley Laryea of the Office of the First Lady, it states that a Consolidated Bank Ghana cheque of an amount of eight hundred and ninety-nine thousand, seven hundred cedis, four pesewas has been presented to the Chief of Staff, FremaOseiOpare to pay back the amount.
Meanwhile, Women’s Rights Advocate and Journalist, Shamima Muslim has said the offices of First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Second Lady Samira Bawumia should not have refunded monies paid them in allowance since 2017 in line with recommendations made by the Presidential Committee on emoluments for Article 71 officeholders.
According to her, the debate on the spousal allowance should center on defining more legally the roles of both first and second ladies and a reasonable consideration for whatever duties they perform.
This she said because both ladies make significant contributions to national development, they deserve the allowances for the day-to-day administration of their offices and that should be worth considering in deciding on whether or not they deserve monthly salaries.
She passed this comment on social networking site, Twitter. Tweeting via the handle @shamimamuslim, she said “honestly, the 1st and 2nd ladies shouldn’t have refunded any paid allowance to them for performing public duties. The legality or otherwise of the Committee’s recommendations to regularize payments to them remains life debate but they shouldn’t have to refund anything.”
Her comment comes at the back of latest development in which both first and second ladies have refunded allowances due them from January 2017 to date amounting to GHS889, 097.84 and GHS887, 482 respectively.
This follow public debate over the Parliamentary approval of the allowances as recommended by the Emolument Committee set up to make recommendations on salaries and other gratuities of Article 71 officeholders.
The five-member Professor YaaNtiamoa-Baidu Committee recommended, among other things, the payment of a salary equivalent to a cabinet minister who is a member of Parliament to the First Lady while her husband is in office, and the payment of a salary equivalent to 80% of the salary of a minister of state who is an MP if the spouse served one full term as president, or 100% of the salary of a minister of state who is an MP if the spouse served two or more full terms as president.
