Forty (40) former Members of Parliament, who served under the Kufuor Administration, have sued the Attorney-General and the Ministry of Finance over pensions owed them, demanding at least GHc 233,495 each.

Among the plaintiffs are the Senior Minister in the Nana Akufo-Addo administration, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the acting New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, Freddie Blay and Kwamena Bartels.

The initial lump sum was said to be GHc 13,735 per plaintiff, but interest accrued on the amount from January 2009 to February 2016 raises the amount to GHc 233,495.

That would mean government would have to give out almost GHc 10 million to settle the former MPs.

The plaintiff’s claim is anchored on one of the recommendations by the Chinery-Hesse Committee Report, which says that persons who exited Parliament, having served two full term periods and are above 50 years, should be paid some sums of money as pension benefits.

Among the other reliefs, the disgruntled former MPs are also praying the court refund their legal bills.

The former MPs have since 2011 been negotiating with government regarding the pensions, but the attempts to have their demands met have proved futile.

They noted in their writ that, in a letter dated June 25, 2015, the Attorney General directed the Ministry of Finance to make the payments, but the Minister of Finance at the time refused, neglected or failed to make the payments as directed.

The former MPs said the conduct of the Finance Minister caused them much distress and suffering, as most of them are unemployed and unable to sustain their families as their advanced age made it difficult to find employment.
Find below the list of former MPs

1 David Apasera

2 Dr. Charles Brempong-Yeboah

3 Francis Aggrey Agbotese

4 Nii Adu Daku Mante

5 Kwame Adusa Okerchiri

6 Godfred Otchere

7 Moses Dani Baah

8 K. Brandford Adu

9 Victor Okuley Nortey

10 Yaw Barimah

11 Kwadwo Darko Adjei

12 Samuel Gyamfi Adu

13 Joseph Tsatsu Agbenu

14 Eugene Atta Agyapong

15 Abraham Osei Aidoo

16 Dr. Kwame Ampofo

17 Dr. Matthew Kwaku Antwi

18 Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku

19 Yaw Mensah Asiedu

20 Angela Baiden-Amissah

21 Kwamena Bartels

22 Freddie W.A. Blay

23 Sampson Boafo

24 Chrisitne Churcher

25 Kenneth Dzirasah

26 Isaac E. Edumadze

27 Nkrabea Effah Dartey

28 Kwame Owusu Frimpong

29 Kitson Akomeng Kissi

30 Joseph Henry Mensah

31 Mrs Anna Nyamakye

32 Albert Kwaku Obbin

33 Yaw Osafo-Maafo

34 Francis Mensah Osafo

35 Akwasi Adjei Osei

36 K. Owusu Adjapong

37 K. Opoku Adusei

38 Quarm Sam

39 Alex Sofo Seidu

40 Alhassa Malik Yakubu

Source: Citi FM