The Minority Chief Whip Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak says Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini breached the rules of Parliament’s Appointments Committee.

He said "What he said was unfortunate and I want all of us to understand, when you first go to committee you have one difficulty or the other in trying to abreast yourself with the rules.

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"If Suhiyini was conversant with the rules, the same question that he posed, he could have put it in a way  would have made it difficult for the chairman to overrule it," Muntaka said.

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At a sitting, the MP exchanged arguments with the Chairman telling him in the face that he has not been fair to freely engage nominees the way he wanted, especially, about over issues relating to their respective ministry they are assigned.

"Mr. Chairman, I think that I have to make it clear that I am not happy with the way that I am treated on this Committee," Suhuyini complained.

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The Chairman of the Committee [Joe Osei Owusu] in reply said, "Honourable. Member, please play by the rules or else I will go pass you."

Muntaka on his part said, the minority could have defended Suhiyini but he broke the rules of the appointments committee.

Meanwhile, President of policy think tank IMANI, Franklin Cudjoe has criticized the Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament for his autocratic powers during vetting of ministerial nominees.

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Franklin Cudjoe in a Facebook post said, "It was rather disappointing that the chairman of the vetting committee had exercised his autocratic powers yet in preventing Alhassan Suhuyini from asking a question which the nominee minister would have confidently dealt with".

Argument between Suhiyini and Chairman of the Committee:

Suhiyini: Thank you very much Mr. Chairman. Congratulations, Hon. Nominee. Even though, it is a substantive matter, I will take if from your CV. You indicated that you worked with the Bank of New York. Now the Bank of New York is a very very controversial bank. I’m sure you are aware and I will tell you why before I ask the question. In 2005, the Bank was made to pay to federal officers US$38million for engaging in money laundering and this led to the prosecution of one of its Vice Presidents and this was a results of money launded to the tune of about US$17billion. It ended up in the prosecution of nine people. This was the time that per your CV you were working there.

2007,  the same Bank – Russia filed a US$22.5billion lawsuit against the bank against for money laundering which was settled for US$14million and this also happened at the time that you were working there per your CV, if it is correct that indeed you worked there.

Now in 2011, the Justice Department in New York filed civil suit against the bank alleging a decade old foreign currency fraud. Now the question is Mr. Chairman …

Committee Chairman: Sorry. I have tried earlier and you go on social media alleging that I am trying to prevent you from asking questions and that is why I am indulging you. Now this is a clear breach of our rules, Order 67. Can you please go on to your question? What has the Bank’s prosecution of others not the candidate, not the nominee here got to do with us?

Below is Franklin Cudjoe's Facebook post: