Perceived graft in parliament not rid by Ghartey Committee probe – Short

Former Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) boss Justice Emile Short has said that the way the bribery allegation made by Bawku Central MP was handled may not erase the perception in the minds of Ghanaians that the legislature is corrupt.

Speaker of Parliament Mike Oquaye warned the Bawku Central lawmaker not to peddle falsehood in the legislature after the ad-hoc committee found him in contempt.

The Joe Ghartey Committee, in its report, said it found no evidence to support allegations of bribery made by Bawku Central MP Mahama Ayariga.

The Committee came to the conclusion that Mr Ayariga failed to prove that Mr Boakye Agyarko, the Energy Minister, gave money to Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, Chairman of the Appointments Committee, to be distributed to the committee members with a view to bribing them to approve his nomination (by consensus).

Presenting the report of the committee to the House, Mr Joe Ghartey, the Chairman of the Committee, said Mr Ayariga failed to adduce any evidence to substantiate his claim bribery.

“Everything he said was nothing more than rumours," Mr Ghartey said, adding: Multiplicity of rumours does not constitute a fact.”

But Mr Short told Class News on Saturday, April 8 that the probe did little to clean up parliament’s image.

“There are those who may not still be satisfied about the credibility of parliament because of the many previous bribery allegations levelled against the institution,” he noted.

He was not sure that “the way in which this matter was handled would have erased that perception in the minds of the public that the institution is still riddled with corruption”.