Ablakwa responds to Osei-Owusu; I never confessed bribery allegation was cooked
The Member Parliament for North Tongu in the Volta region, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in a Facebook post has responded to claims by Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament that he [Okudzeto] confessed that the bribery allegation against some members of the Appointments Committee was cooked up.
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He described the claims by Mr Osei-Owusu as nothing but a desperate, malicious and cancerous fabrication which would not be allowed to fester.
“May it be known that the so-called confession attributed to me by Hon. Joe Osei-Owusu is nothing but a desperate, malicious and cancerous fabrication which would not be allowed to fester."
"The last time Hon. Osei-Owusu made this same allegation, he hanged it around the neck of Hon. Mahama Ayariga, I guess he had forgotten to be consistent when he appeared before the Special Committee today.
“Let no one doubt my resolve and the extent I am willing to go to vindicate the truth in this matter…Truth Sta
Appearing before the ad-hoc Parliamentary Committee appointed to investigate the bribery allegation levelled against some members of the Appointments Committee, Mr Osei-Owusu who is also chairman of the Appointments Committee said Mr Ablakwa confessed that the bribery allegation was made against the Energy Minister, Mr Boakye Agyarko was cooked up to get back at the majority and the governing New Patriotic Party for tagging former President John Dramani Mahama as a corrupt leader.
He said “in the conclave, after they had shown that they [Minority] were satisfied and were willing to withdraw their objection and agree for their report to be amended that Hon Osafo Maafo and Boakye Agyarko be passed by consensus, we were going to leave and I said: ‘No. There was this allegation already in the public domain, and Honourable Ayariga is the one alleged to have made that allegation, so, we should discuss that matter after meeting.’
“All the Minority members said was [that]: ‘Mr Speaker, cool down, cool down’. And I said: ‘How can I cool down? This allegation is already in the public domain’. It was at that point that Okudzeto Ablakwa said, ‘Because Agyarko said our president (Mahama) was corrupt, we were spreading the corruption allegation’. The mood in the room changed afterwards.”
Background
Parliament formed the committee following allegations by the MP for Bawku Central, Mr Mahama Ayariga that the Energy Minister, Mr Boakye Agyarko attempted bribing Minority members on the Appointments Committee with Gh¢3,000 each with the aim to influence his approval as Minister.
Mr Ayariga further claimed that the money was handed to the Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka by the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Mr Joseph Osei Owusu for onward disbursement, a claim both have denied.
Mr Ayariga together with two of his colleagues, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Mr Alhassan Suhuyini subsequently petitioned the Speaker of Parliament to investigate the claims.
The ad-hoc committee is chaired by the MP for Essikado-Ketan, Mr Joe Ghartey who is also a Minister in charge of Railways Development.
The four other members are Mr Ben Abdallah, Mrs Abena Durowaa Mensah, Mr Magnus Kofi Amoateng and Mr Benson Tongo Baba.
The terms of reference of the committee is to establish whether the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Joseph Osei Owusu took money from the Energy Minister, Mr Boakye Agyarko and gave it to the Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka to the distributed to Members of the Appointments Committee.
It is also to establish whether there was an attempt to bribe Members of the Appointments Committee and to look into the merits of the complaints and assertions made by the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Joseph Osei Owusu about the matter.