AYARIGA BRIBE CASE STARTS TODA

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

The Special Committee set up by Parliament to investigate Mahama Ayariga’s allegation of bribe-taking by some Members of Parliament (MPs) is expected to commence public sittings today.

Even before sittings begin, one of the prospective witnesses, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, is insisting that  Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko – who was vetted by the Appointments Committee - through some people, paid GH¢3,000 to the minority MPs on the committee to influence his (Agyarko’s) approval as Minister of Energy.

Specific Task

The committee, chaired by Joe Ghartey, MP for Essikado Ketan and Minister for Railways Development, is specifically looking into allegation against the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Joe Osei-Owusu, who Mahama Ayariga, NDC MP for Bawku Central, had cited as the conduit for bribing the MPs; and Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, who Mahama Ayariga claimed had brought the money.

Other members of the committee are Ben Abdallah Banda, MP for Offinso South; Magnus Kofi Amoatey, MP for Yilo Krobo; Ama Pomaa Boateng, MP for Juaben and Benson Tongo Baba, MP for Talensi.

Delay

The committee had earlier scheduled Monday, February 13, as the date to start work at the Speaker’s Conference Room in Parliament House, Accra, but the star witness - Mahama Ayariga - was said to be in Nigeria for Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliament assignment.

The Joe Ghartey Committee will invite Mahama Ayariga, Joseph Osei-Wusu - who is also the 1st Deputy Speaker - Sampson Ahi and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa - members of the Appointments Committee - to appear before it.

Others to appear are Alhassan Suhuyini, MP for Tamale North; Mohammed Mubarak-Muntaka, MP for Asawase; Eric Opoku, MP for Asunafo South and Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko.

The investigation was launched after Mahama Ayariga and two minority MPs - Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Alhassane Suhuyini - had accused Boakye Agarko of bribing them.

Mahama Ayariga caused public outrage when he claimed on pro-NDC network - Radio Gold - recently that the Minority Chief Whip shared envelopes containing GH¢3,000 for minority members serving on the Appointments Committee to approve Mr. Agyarko’s appointment.

Instant Denial

The Muntaka and Boakye Agyarko have already denied ever sharing envelopes containing GH¢3,000 each to approve the nomination of Mr. Agyarko to become Minister of Energy; and the Chief Whip’s action appears to have incensed his colleagues on the minority side of parliament.

Mahama Ayariga claimed Alhaji Muntaka had told them (minority MPs on the committee) that it was the Committee’s Chairman Joe Osei-Owusu, who gave the money to them and said they later got to know that it was coming from Mr. Agyarko.

In the ensuing debate, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije, a minority member of the Appointments Committee, was also said to have told Montie Fm - a sister station of Radio Gold - that he didn’t know anything about the alleged bribe, even though he was expected to have benefitted from it (if it was the allowance for the members of the committee). 

Latest Interview

However, on Monday, Okudzeto Ablakwa granted interview to Radio Gold once again, swearing by the heavens not to go against God’s word in Exodus 20:16, which says “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”

According to him, “This is the truth and God is my witness.  I will not bare false witness, remember in the Bible that the 10 commandments speak against this. There is a grave sanction for you if you are a Christian and you bear false witness. I wouldn’t tell a lie on somebody.” 

He said, “We are not changing our position - Hon. Boakye Agyarko sought to bribe us when he was having difficulties with his approval.”

Return Money

“We met and decided at a meeting chaired by our leader, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, whom I have a lot of respect for, great leader… he agreed with all of us that let us all return the money and we all returned the envelopes.

“What I know is that an envelope was given to me and my other colleagues and we found out that it wasn’t our allowances…We heard where the money was coming from and we did our own checks and got confirmation so we decided to return it. We are not in parliament to receive any nominee’s money. Our constituents didn’t send us to parliament to go and receive bribes from nominees,” he charged.