The committee charged by the Speaker of Parliament to investigate bribery allegations made against the Appointment Committee has found Mahama Ayariga guilty of contempt.
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Joe Ghartey committee finds Mahama Ayariga guilty of contempt
The committee’s report recommended that Honourable Ayariga, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central – who made the allegations- should be reprimanded by Speaker Mike Ocquaye.
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The committee asked the legislator to render an unqualified apology to the House of Parliament.
The report however recognised that "the Hon. Mahama Ayariga is not known to have engaged in acts that tend to disrupt the smooth proceedings of Parliament."
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What happened?
Mahama Ayariga, MP for Bawku Central claimed in a radio interview that the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, sent money to the minority side on the Appointments Committee in an attempt to influence their decision on his approval after he was vetted for the position.
The allegations shock the Appointments Committee on both sides of the house with Joe Osei Owusu (the committee’s chair) and Mubarak Muntaka (on the minority side) implicated.
The pair, together with Boakye Agyarko have denied the allegations and described it as unsubstantiated.
His allegations were backed by two others; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and first time legislator Alhassan Suhini.
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The five member committee, chaired by Joe Ghartey, Member of Parliament (MP) for Essikado-Ketan Constituency, was set up by the Speaker Professor Mike Ocuaye in January 2017 to investigate the bribery scandal on the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
Analysis
Many have criticised the Parliamentary leadership for setting up a committee to investigate itself and called for a neutral body without connections to the establishment to investigate the matter instead.
During the 2016 election campaign, Boakye Agyarko, accused then then president, John Mahama of attempting to bribe the Northern Regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party.
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So the allegations have been viewed by many as pay back for those allegations.
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