The Majority Caucus in Parliament has rejected calls by the Minority for the refund of GH¢113 million collected from applicants who were disqualified in the ongoing security services recruitment exercise.
According to the Majority, the demand by the Minority for a refund to applicants who did not meet the recruitment requirements was unjustified, arguing that similar fees paid by unsuccessful applicants during previous recruitment exercises under the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo were not refunded.
The Majority Caucus maintained that the recruitment fees were administrative charges associated with processing applications and conducting various stages of the recruitment exercise, including screening, verification, and other logistical arrangements.
Addressing the media in Parliament, members of the Majority said the practice of charging recruitment processing fees had been consistent over the years and was not unique to the current exercise.
They stressed that applicants who paid the fees did so with the understanding that the payments were for processing their applications and did not guarantee automatic qualification into the security services.
The caucus therefore described the Minority’s demand as misplaced and politically motivated, insisting that the established procedures governing recruitment into the security services had not changed.
The Majority further urged the public to remain calm and allow the recruitment authorities to complete the ongoing processes in accordance with the laid down guidelines.
The Minority had earlier called on the government to refund the GH¢113 million collected from applicants who were disqualified during the recruitment process, arguing that the affected applicants deserved reimbursement.
However, the Majority maintains that there is no basis for such refunds, citing precedents from previous administrations where unsuccessful applicants did not receive refunds after paying recruitment processing fees.
The ongoing recruitment exercise covers various security agencies, including the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Prisons Service.