1st And 2nd Ladies On Article 71 Salaries Is Infidelity To Constitution …Prof. Gatsi

Dean of the School of Business at the University of Cape Coast, Prof. John Gatsi, has accused the Akufo-Addo government of infidelity to the Constitution over the decision to place First and Second Ladies on the salaries of Article 71 officeholders.

Speaking to 3 FM’s Dzifa Bampoe, Prof. Gatsi who is also a Lawyer said Article 71 doesn’t recognize wives of officeholders to receive salaries including allowances, facilities and privileges.

“Payment of salaries to these spouses is a show of infidelity to the constitution and financial encumbrance on the consolidated fund,” Prof. Gatsi said.

He explained that the development amounts to an illegal accommodation of presidential wives under Article 71. 

Prof. Gatsi said the implication is that these wives are invariably permitted to enjoy salaries, allowances, facilities that may have omnibus applications including vehicles, and retirement benefits. Meaning the cost to the public is much more than salaries.

According to Prof. Gatsi, for the spouses of the President and his Vice to be able to draw salaries from the consolidated fund, they require to be rendering some public service to the state, and not merely by simply being wives of the highest officeholders in the country.

First and second ladies only do philanthropic work and such works cannot be used as grounds to put them under Article 71 beneficiaries because there are millions of Ghanaians both in public and private sectors who engage in benevolent activities to serve society. 

Already, he pointed out, First and Second Ladies receive so much State funding support for their philanthropic work when their husbands are in office.

 Prof. Gatsi queries: “Are the wives also to enjoy the tax exemption that the president enjoys? Will they be treated as public officers?”