Muntaka’s apology: Let posterity judge all of us by good conscience – Anyidoho

A former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho has commended Asawase Member of Parliament, Muntaka Mubarak for apologizing to the Supreme Court over his bribery allegation against an unnamed Justice of the highest court of the land.

Koku Anyidoho in a tweet said “I congratulate Hon Muntaka for being a man & apologizing to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ghana. Let posterity judge all of us by good conscience.”

Muntaka has apologized for the bribery accusation he made against a justice of the Supreme Court after the elections of a speaker for the 8th Parliament.

Portions of his apology read “Based upon good counsel, I have also decided to let sleeping dogs lie and will consequently refrain from any further public comment on the matter which, as I have indicated was originally reported to me by a female colleague Parliamentarian.”

But some persons have said his apology should not obstruct the judicial inquiry into the matter.

For instance, a US-based Ghanaian Professor, Kweku Asare has said the allegation, if true, is serious enough to warrant some consequences. And equally, if it is false and had no basis, is serious enough to warrant some consequences.

Commenting on this in a Facebook post, Professor Asare said “I read somewhere that Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, the honorable MP for Asawasi has retracted his allegation against members of the Supreme Court.

“When one reads the purported apology carefully, as one should, one easily sees that he is not really withdrawing the allegation but apologizing for making a general, rather than a specific, allegation. That is, he is apologizing for saying Supreme Court justices, rather than mentioning the name of the Justice involved, but “letting sleeping dogs lie” on the allegation itself against the Justice.

“This, to me, is hardly adequate. Either the allegation in its entirety is false and he must withdraw same in its entirety, render an unqualified and unconditional apology and fall on his sword by being made to answer for his contumacious remarks. Or there is a basis for the allegation and a full throttle investigation is still warranted to unravel the puzzle.

“However, I’m not oblivious of our “fa ma nyame” culture and I’m certain that we will close the chapter on this one and move on, as if nothing has happened.

“In fact, I won’t be surprised if the broad based consultation he says he made reached a settlement that we the masses be given a tranquilizer in the form of this half-baked apology.

“In the process, those who claimed his allegation was baseless will claim victory. Those who claim it had merit will equally claim victory. The only victims are truth and what actually happened. It is my hope that this apology does not preempt the judicial inquiry into the matter. The allegation, if true, is serious enough to warrant some consequences. And equally, if it is false and had no basis, is serious enough to warrant some consequences. Surely, we must let sleeping dogs lie. But that is not to say that we must put barking dogs to sleep.”

Muntaka had alleged that an unnamed justice of the Supreme Court attempted to bribe a female National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker during the election of a speaker for the 8th parliament.

He told Joy News Sunday January 10 while discussing issues regarding the election of a speaker for the 8th Parliament that “There was one that was led by, I mean so shamefully, a Supreme Court judge [who] called a colleague lady, telling her what they will give her, she has children [and] they will take care of her children; she can take fuel from the filling station for the four years.”

He reiterated his allegation on Citi TV Monday January 11.

He said “The former Majority Leader, the Leader of Government business over the weekend was accusing the NDC’s side that we were bribing Members on their side.

I congratulate Hon Muntaka for being a man & apologising to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ghana. Let posterity judge all of us by good conscience.

— Samuel Koku Anyidoho???????? (@KokuAnyidoho) February 6, 2021