One of the aspirants in the impending New Patriotic Party’s presidential primaries, Hon. Dr Bryan Acheampong, is facing a serious inquest into his curriculum vitae (CV) in a case that can completely dent his credibility.
This follows an action by a journalist who wants the Parliament of Ghana and the US Embassy to verify claims that Hon. Dr Bryan Acheampong, the Member of Parliament of the Abetifi constituency, indeed served in the United States Air Force from 2005 to 2009.
‘Dodgy’ Responses during 2023 Parliamentary Vetting
The Journalist claims his decision to file a Right to Information (RTI) request follows dodgy responses Hon. Dr. Bryan Acheampong gave to Parliament during his vetting as Minister for Agriculture in 2023. The honourable nominee during the vetting exercise flatly refused to disclose his rank while in the United States Airforce suggesting it was “confidential” and a “matter of national security.” Persistent questioning from Honourable Kwame Agbodza, MP for Adaklu and Honourable Ato Forson, MP for Ajumako Enyan Esiam, failed to elicit confident answers from the nominee, except to say that leadership of Parliament will be given a copy of his certificate of honourable discharge, which will detail further and better particulars about his time in the United States Air Force.
This RTI request, addressed to the Clerk of Parliament, according to the petitioner, is to confirm whether the House was furnished with the career history of Dr Bryan Acheampong in the US Air Force or not and if indeed the certificate of honourable discharge was received by Parliament. Some answers to questions posed to the nominee, which at best are vague, were produced by the petitioner in the RTI request to parliament, including the following:
“Hon. Kwame Agboza, MP, Adaklu: Hon. Bryan Acheampong, my friend. On your CV, you said that between 2005 and 2009, you enlisted in the United States Airforce, enlisted. May I know the rank at which you were enlisted and the rank at which you left the U.S Air Force?”
Hon Bryan Acheampong, MP, Abetifi: “Mr Chairman, all details of my operations at National Security, I am sure were discussed with you and with foreign governments, as we are advised should not be shared, but I am able to provide that to you, leadership of this house.”
Hon. Kwame Agbodza, MP, Adaklu: “You mean it is not allowed for you to disclose the rank at which you enlisted in the United States Air Force and the rank at which you left? We see them display General this, Colonel this. What is the National Security about this?”
Hon. Bryan Acheampong, MP, Abetifi: “You are in leadership, and you will be apprised of that information today.”
Further questioning about the rank of Hon. Bryan Acheampong in the United States Air Force from Hon. Casiel Ato Forson received no clear-cut answer except to say that “Mr Chairman, for the avoidance of doubt, when you leave the military, you will either be given an honourable certificate or a dishonourable one. Immediately after here, I will produce my honourable discharge certificate, which will detail everything I did in the military (US),” the request to Parliament indicated.
Confirmation from the United States Embassy
The petitioner also requested the United States Embassy in Accra to confirm claims by Hon. Dr Bryan Acheampong that he indeed served in the United States Air Force from 2005 to 2009. The request addressed to the Public Affairs Officer said that during the 2023 vetting before the Appointments Committee of the Parliament of Ghana, Hon. Acheampong asserted that he had served in the United States Armed Forces between 2005 and 2009 and included this information in the curriculum vitae he submitted to Parliament. However, public records indicate that during the same period (2005–2009), Hon. Acheampong was resident in Ghana and was heavily involved in local Ghanaian politics.”
In light of the misalignment between the claim of serving in the United States Air Force and the public record of active local politics in Ghana, the request to the embassy is to clarify the Abetifi lawmaker’s claims of being a veteran in the US Army.
“I kindly request that the U.S. Embassy, through its Public Affairs Section or Defense Attaché’s Office, confirm whether Hon. Bryan Acheampong indeed served in any branch of the United States Armed Forces during the stated period (2005–2009), and if so, the nature, rank, and duration of that service. This request is made in good faith and in the public interest, to promote transparency and ensure the accuracy of official records concerning a public officeholder of the Republic of Ghana,” the petition said.
“Dishonest and Scammer Image’
If neither the RTI request to Parliament nor the request to the US Embassy can confirm the period of service of Hon. Dr Bryan Acheampong in the United States Air Force, it would be a devastating blow to his credibility as he pursues his ambition of becoming the flagbearer of the NPP.
A lawyer who has knowledge of the petition but preferred to stay anonymous said “I cannot even begin to think of the ramifications for Hon. Dr Bryan Acheampong if this entry into his CV is found to be untrue. It would make people believe that he is a scammer, dishonest, and a generally shady person who should not be contesting for any public office. But it is not the image alone that can suffer. In fact, our criminal jurisprudence, through Act 29, makes lying under oath a crime of immense proportions that could lead to jail time for the accused. In simple terms, criminal proceedings can be brought against him for perjury. Either way, this is in very bad taste for Hon. Bryan Acheampong.
RTI Request
The RTI request is an accountability tool that guarantees citizens the right to request official information from government and other public agencies. The right to information is vested in every Ghanaian citizen and guaranteed by the 1992 constitution under Article 21(1)(f), which provides that:
“All persons shall have the right to information, subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society.”
This right is operationalised through the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), particularly Section 1, which guarantees every citizen’s right to access information held by a public institution. Accordingly, I make this application under Section 18(1) of the Act, said the petitioner, who invokes transparency and fairness in all dealings,” petitioner said.
Now parliament has 14 working days within which to clarify if they received the certificate of honourable discharge and to deliver their response to the request for clarification of claims made by Hon. Bryan Acheampong to the committee.
