Barker-Vormawor’s post had double meaning; he was misunderstood – Lawyer clarifies

Nana Ato Dadzie, the legal representative of social activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has stated that his client’s post alleging payments to the Appointments Committee for ministerial approvals was misunderstood.

According to him, the statement was made with good intentions and no malicious intent, describing it as a whistleblower’s move aimed at raising public awareness of an alleged illegal act by unidentified individuals.

In a social media post on Friday, 24th January, Mr Barker-Vormawor alleged that ministerial appointees were being asked to pay an undisclosed sum to the Appointments Committee in exchange for approval.

He wrote:

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.

Lawyer Ato Dadzie provided this clarification when Barker-Vormawor appeared before the committee to present evidence for his allegations.

He stated:

It was completely not directed at the Appointments Committee; it was only intended to expose certain matters and material that had come to his attention. Allegedly, some people are operating in the name of the Appointments Committee to engage in activities that may not be appropriate.

I would like to clarify immediately that it was never his intention to make statements disparaging the Appointments Committee. The statement can be interpreted in multiple ways depending on the reader, but it was certainly not an attack on the committee.

He further explained:

If anything, this was a whistleblower’s statement, suggesting that certain things are happening. We have a Whistleblower Act in this country that encourages people to report what they see and hear.

However, he apologised for any damage the post may have caused to the integrity of the committee.

In his submission, Lawyer Ato Dadzie also clarified that Oliver Barker-Vormawor was not responsible for a second post alleging bribery involving the NDC majority members of the Appointments Committee, led by Chairman Bernard Ahiafor. He attributed it to an account named “NPP Projects Bureau” on X (formerly Twitter).

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