The Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Joe Osei Owusu said he failed to press for proof or investigated a bribery allegation against his committee because the MP for North Tongu, Okudzeto Ablakwa, told him the allegation was a frame-up.
According to him, the North Tongu MP said the Minority MPs were only trying to equalize the corruption allegations made by the Minister of Energy Boakye Agyarko against former President John Mahama.
The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga had on several platforms alleged that the Minister of Energy Boakye Agyarko attempted to bribe some members of the Appointments Committee to approve his nomination after a rancorous vetting.
The allegation was supported by two MPs – Okudzeto Ablakwa and MP for Tamale North Alhansan Suhuyini -, but Mr. Joe Osei Owusu and Minority Chief Whip Muntaka Mohammed who were mentioned in the bribery allegation have flatly denied it.
It was suggested that Mr. Osei Owusu who is also the First Deputy Speaker was used as the conduit by Mr. Boakye to allegedly bribe some members on the committee, who are mainly from the Minority side in Parliament with 3000 cedis each. Parliament therefore set a five-member committee to investigate the allegation, which sat for the first time on Wednesday, February 15, 2017.
When he appeared before the committee of inquiry, Joe Osei Owusu said he was angered by the allegation but in a closed door meeting with Mr. Ablakwa and some MPs, Mr. Ablakwa said they were only “spreading the corruption allegation”, which elicited laughter from those who were in the room.
He said the atmosphere in the room was charged but the admission by Ablakwa calmed down “tempers” because “I had insisted that the allegation is investigated”.
He could not however tell if the North Tongu MP was joking or serious when he claimed that “they put that (allegation) out as an equalization”.
But he noted that in the lobby of Parliament, Mr. Ablakwa repeated his confession in the presence of the MP for Adansi Asokwa, K.T Hammond that the Minority wanted Mr. Agyarko to feel the “heat Mahama faced” when he (Agyarko) called the former leader corrupt.
When asked why he did not press for investigation, Mr. Joe Osei Owusu said he “considered it to be one of the political games and wanted it to go”.
However he became incensed when Mahama Ayariga went on radio stations to continue to peddle “untruth about me”, he indicated. He was emphatic that he never took money from anyone or discussed anything that has to do with money with any member of the Appointments Committee.
Source: 3news.com
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MR. OSEI OWUSU SHOULD BE STRIPPED OFF HIS POSITION.
@THE ***barred word*** NAME IS BACK FRANK FIAKPUI-PUI PUI PUI.FOOSHEE FOOSHEE .WHAT A NAME PUI PUI.
I WILL FOREVER WITHDRAW MY RESPECT FOR PARLIAMENT IF THE HOUSE DOES NOT COME OUT WITH THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. THEY HAVE DISHONOURED THE HOUSE AND ALL CULPRITS MUST BE PROSECUTED TO UPHOLD THE DIGNITY OF THE HOUSE.IT'S A SHAME FOR THE STORY TO BE COOKED OR TRUE. AN ADVANCED SHAME TO THE WHOLE SHAME. WE DEMAND AN UNQUALIFIED APOLOGY AT THE END OF IT ALL AS CITIZEN. THOSE FOUND GUILTY WILL FOREVER BE A DISGRACE TO THEIR CONSTITUENCY.
Babies with sharp teeth need to be sack
The headlines of this story is VERY INTERESTING and coming from a trusted source, peacfmonline, I don't need read further. If it's true that the whole issue was a lie to score political points, then I suggest that those who started it MUST BE PROSECUTED for obvious reasons.
These so called Honorable are not Honourable after all. Ablakwa, Ayariga, Suhuni or whatever they call him must be driven from Parliament.They don't deserve to be there.
WHO SAID IT WAS A JOKE? GOD WILL PUNISH ALL OF U!
This is a ploy to cover-up.Joe wise said on the floor of the house that it was Ayariga who confessed that,today he changes his mouth to Ayarigah.For the records,leadership decide who should speak to issues on the floor ,and even that upon the discretion of the speaker to call you or not.Why is Okudzeto NOT being invited by the committee to confirm or deny same? Why is Joe Ghartey committee intending to cover up. We saw this cover-up coming.Bribe was offered.The same thing happened with the judiciary until Anas exposed their cheap ***barred word***.
This man is lying through his teeth. If loud KT HAMMOND knew anything about this earlier, he would have been the first person to speak out. He has now arranged with him to come to his aid. This investigation would be getting interesting because the other size would also lined up to defend their colleagues. At the end of the day, since both size would not be able to back their allegations with proper evidence the case would be a mere formality. No proper outcome would be arrived at. In the end all the Mps would still be doing their work without any punishment. Agyarko would also be left unpunished. This is all about deceiving Ghanaians. It's would be like Ghana at 50, judgement debt committee as well as Brazil committee, all of which never punished even an ant.
This is very childish.