K.T. Hammond, the MP chairing of the committee hearing the merits of the censure motion against the Finance Minister, has criticised reports suggesting the minister’s lawyer, Gabby Otchere-Darko, was feeding him information when the Minority appeared before the committee.

In his opening remarks during the hearing on Thursday, Mr. Hammond said: “I am capable of independent thinking and intelligent articulation of my independent views.”

A section of the broadcast was interpreted by some viewers to have Mr. Otchere-Darko trying to prompt someone to check their phone.

Some social media users felt the lawyer was signalling the chair of the committee.

He singled out GhanaWeb for having suggested that Mr. Otchere-Darko was signalling to Mr. Hammond to check his phone for some information.

The GhanaWeb story had the headline “Gabby ‘caught signalling’ to K.T. Hammond at Ofori-Atta vote of censure hearing.

“For somebody to have thought that somebody was in the public gallery was in a position to influence my questioning and my thinking on the day is atrocious and unfair. It is patronising and insulting my intelligence.”

Mr. Hammond said he had put his phone off at the beginning of the hearing, but only switched it on to make reference to some information he had received earlier in November.

“I had been, on the 6th of November, sent a message from America explaining that there had been a bond attracting the issues I had raised on that day. It struck me that that was there, and I wanted to bring it up for my colleagues to discuss,” he explained.

“You do me outrageous injustice. I require an apology from you,” Mr. Hammond said in reference to the GhanaWeb story.

GhanaWeb has since posted an apology above the earlier story.