Ayariga could be suspended – Majority chief whip

The MP for Bawku Central and a member of Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Mahama Ayariga, risks being suspended should his bribery allegation against the committee turns out to be false.

Mr. Ayariga Friday accused Energy minister, Boakye Agyarko of attempting to bribe the minority members of the committee, to clear him following his edgy vetting – but they rejected it.

According to him, the energy minister’s bribery attempt was made through the chairman of the committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu which was given to the minority caucus by its chief whip, Muntaka Mubarak.

Commenting on the matter Monday in an interview with Nii Arday Clegg on Morning Starr, the majority chief whip, Ameyaw Cheremeh warned that the Bawku Central legislator could face expulsion from the House should he fail to deduce compelling evidence to back his claim.

For him, the corruption allegation is quite confusing and disturbing, stating that any payment by parliament is made by its accounts office or by the clerks to the various committees.

“It is not the duty of any member of parliament to pay monies on behalf of parliament. So that shows that his [Ayariga’s] story is not true. He is just making up the story,” Mr. Cheremeh told Clegg.

He added: “It is not the duty of Honourable Muntaka [Mubarak] to go and take money from the accounts office to go and pay to the minority. Neither is it my duty as the majority chief whip to go and take monies meant for majority members and pay to them. That is not what we do.”

He said the story does not add up and that Mr. Ayariga would be made to prove the allegation “and suffer the consequence if it turns out to be false.”

Denials

The chairman of the committee, Osei-Owusu and Minority chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak have both denied the allegation, describing it as preposterous.

Speaking Saturday in an interview, Mr. Mubarak said the allegation is untrue and strange maintaining that by Allah he “never gave Ayariga anything that it was coming from Osei-Owusu.”

Also, Osei-Owusu in an interview with Starr News rubbished the allegation hinting that he would proceed to court Tuesday to clear his name.

“I will make a general statement on the floor and then on Tuesday proceed to the court to clear my name in this matter legally, and that’s what I will do,” he said.

Again, Mr. Agyarko has also denied ever bribing the committee.