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Okudzeto Ablakwa threatens legal action against ‘bribery’ committee

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said since the first witness Joseph Osei Wusu mentioned him when he was testifying it is only prudent for the committee to invite him or he will head to court.

 

The letter written by his lawyers, Law Offices of Ayine and Felli, indicated that the testimony given by the first witness who is also the Chairman of the Appointments Committee were not exactly true hence the need for him to defend himself.

“Our instructions are that our client was served with a letter dated 4th February 2017 with reference number PG/SC/005 by the Clerk to your Committee inviting him to attend upon the Committee as a witness on a date and at a time to be communicated to him.”

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“Our client further instructs us that it has come to his attention that your Committee has decided to limit the number of witnesses to be called to give evidence and that he has not been named as one of such witnesses,” it added.

“However, in his testimony which was beamed live on National television and which has been widely reported in the national print media, the chairman of the Appointments Committee and first deputy speaker of parliament, Honourable Joseph Osei Wusu, mentioned our client as having told him that the bribery allegation was made up,” it added.

The letter continued: “Since our client was not given an opportunity to cross-examine Hon. Joseph Osei Owusu on this unsubstantiated piece of evidence, it would surely be in accord with the rules of natural justice that our client be heard in his own defence before your Committee.”

The Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament Joseph Osei Wusu when he was giving his testimony before the ad hoc committee on Wednesday said the minority made the bribery allegation to equalise for corruption allegations levelled against ex-president John Mahama.

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“In the conclave, after they had shown that they [Minority] were satisfied and were willing to withdraw their objection and agree for their report to be amended that Hon. Osafo Marfo and Boakye Agyarko be passed by consensus, we were going to leave and I said no, there was this allegation already in the public domain, and Honourable Ayariga is the one alleged to have made that allegation so we should discuss that matter after meeting, all the Minority members said was ‘Mr. Speaker cool down, cool down’ and I said; ‘How can I cool down?

“This allegation is already in the public domain’. It was at that point that Okudzeto Ablakwa said ‘because Agyarko said our President [Mahama] was corrupt, we were spreading the corruption allegation’. The mood in the room changed afterwards,” said the first deputy speaker of parliament in his testimony.”

In a quick response, the former Deputy Education Minister said Joseph Osei Wusu’s claims are false describing the appointments committee chairman’s claim as “malicious.

Ablakwa, therefore, asked that he is invited by the committee even though they have “decided to limit the number of witnesses to be called to give evidence and that he has not been named as one of such witnesses.”

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He said he it will be fair for him to be invited so he can narrate his side of the story.

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