I have not taken bribe. Osei-Owusu tells Ad hoc Committee on bribery allegation
The Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament (ACP), Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, has denied taking any money from the then Minister designate for Energy, Mr Boakye Agyarko, to facilitate Mr Agyarko’s approval by the committee.
Advertisement
He also denied receiving any money from Mr Agyarko for the Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka-Mubarak, to be given to the Minority members on the ACP to facilitate Mr Agyarko’s approval.
Answering questions at the maiden sitting of the five-member ad hoc committee of Parliament investigating the bribery allegation in Accra yesterday, Mr Osei-Owusu said he never discussed any money issue with Alhaji Muntaka-Mubarak or took money from anybody for members of the ACP.
The ad hoc committee was set up by Parliament to investigate allegations of bribery against members of the ACP.
"Honourable Muntaka-Mubarak and I never discussed anything to do with money, nor have I taken money from Mr Agyarko to be given to anybody or for myself.
"I never discussed anything to do with money with Muntaka or Ayariga. The allegation that I have taken money from anybody for myself or any member is false," he said.
Sporting a black suit, a red and white striped shirt with a red tie to match, Mr Osei-Owusu, who is also the First Deputy Speaker and Member of Parliament (MP) for Bekwai, said there had been no attempt by any minister designate to bribe members of the ACP.
"No stranger or non-member met the members as a group or through me," he said.
Genesis of the allegation
In a radio interview, the MP for Bawku Central and member of the ACP, Mr Mahama Ayariga, had alleged that Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak had given each member of the Minority on the ACP GH¢3,000.
He said following rumours that the money had been brought by Mr Agyarko, he confronted Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak about the source and Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak told him that it was Mr Osei-Owusu who had given the money to him, with the explanation that the money was from Mr Agyarko.
Mr Ayariga said following that revelation, he and his colleagues in the Minority returned the money because initially they had thought it was their sitting allowance.
But Mr Osei-Owusu had denied taking any money from Mr Agyarko, while Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak also denied giving any money received from Mr Osei-Owusu to Mr Ayariga.
Mr Agyarko, for his part, refuted the allegation that he had given money to members of the ACP and threatened legal action against Mr Ayariga.
Mr Ayariga and two other Minority MPs on the ACP, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (NDC, North Tongu) and Mr Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini (NDC, Tamale North), wrote a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, requesting thorough investigations into the allegation.
Mr Osei-Owusu also read a statement on the allegation on the floor of Parliament, expressing his worry and requesting a relief from the Speaker to initiate a court process against Mr Ayariga to redeem his image.
Ad hoc committee
Following the developments, Parliament set up the five-member ad hoc committee to investigate the allegation that Mr Osei-Owusu had taken money from Mr Agyarko and given same to the Minority Chief Whip and Deputy Ranking member on the ACP, Alhaji Muntaka-Mubarak, to be given to Minority members on the committee.
The committee is to inquire whether attempts had been made to bribe members of the ACP and also look into any related matters.
It has been given one month to submit its report to Parliament.
The committee is chaired by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Esikado/Ketan (NPP) and former Second Deputy Speaker, Mr Joe Ghartey, with Mr Ben Abdallah Banda, MP for Offinso South (NPP); Ms Ama Pomaa Boateng, MP for Juaben (NPP); Mr Magnus Kofi Amoatey, MP for Yilo Krobo (NDC), and Mr Benson Tongo Baba, MP for Talensi (NDC), as the other members.
Decisions taken at a go
Continuing his testimony before the ad hoc committee, Mr Osei-Owusu said members of the ACP sat at table after each vetting to decide on whether a nominee was to be approved by consensus or by Majority decision.
He said in the case of Mr Agyarko, the decision was taken at the end of his vetting that he should be approved by Majority decision because the Minority members said they would not support his approval because of some allegations he had made against former President John Dramani Mahama.
Mr Osei-Owusu said after that decision, the Minority Leader and Ranking Member on the ACP, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, spoke with him and indicated that he (Mr Iddrisu) was engaging with his members to see whether they could reach a consensus on the approval of Mr Agyarko and the then Senior Minister designate, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo.
That, Mr Osei-Owusu said, held up the presentation of the nomination of Mr Agyarko and Mr Osafo-Maafo for approval in the first report of the ACP to Parliament
However, he said Alhaji Muntaka-Mubarak later called him to say that the Minority members could not support the approval of the two by consensus.
Therefore, he said, he had prepared a report in which he indicated that the approval of Mr Agyarko and Mr Osafo-Maafo should be by Majority decision.
Around 3:15 p.m. on January 27, while he was in the chamber preparing to present the second report of the ACP, Mr Osei-Owusu said, he received a Whatsapp message from a friend journalist informing him that Mr Sammy Ablordepey of Radio Gold had reported that he (Mr Osei-Owusu) had taken GH¢100,000 from Mr Agyarko and shared same to members of the ACP.
He said later in the evening, his attention was drawn to the fact that the allegation story had been published on myjoyonline and peacefmonline and attributed to Mr Ayariga.
He said after a meeting to clarify issues with Mr Agyarko and Mr Osafo-Maafo at the Speaker's Lobby late in the night of January 27, he (Mr Osei-Owusu) requested that the issue of the allegation be discussed, but he was asked to exercise patience on the issue.
He said it was at a meeting that Mr Ablakwa said because Mr Agyarko had accused former President Mahama of being corrupt, the Minority too were making a corruption allegation against the Majority.
Therefore, he said, "We all laughed about it."
Mr Osei-Owusu said after presenting the amended report that recommended the approval of Mr Agyarko and Mr Osafo-Maafo by consensus on the floor of the House, he added that the meeting had shown that the people who made the allegation did that for equalisation, but none of the members objected to that statement on the floor.
He said after that, he thought the matter had died down and indicated that he was on his way to Koforidua for the induction ceremony of new MPs when he got a message that Mr Ayariga had taken to social media to repeat the allegation.
He said the following morning, Mr Ayariga granted an interview to Joy FM’s News File programme and insisted that the allegation was true.
Mr Osei-Owusu said he also granted an interview to the station by phone from Koforidua in the course of the programme, denying the allegation.
He said it was at that stage that he discussed with his lawyers the possibility of seeking the Speaker's leave to initiate a court process against Mr Ayariga.
Besides, he said, he discussed with the leadership of the House whether it would be possible to reconstitute the membership of the ACP, but that was said not to be feasible.
Tape recording
Mr Osei-Owusu said he had a copy of a tape recording which contained wild allegations against him, including a claim that he had gone into hiding.
He sought to play the tape, but Mr Ghartey declined and rather asked him to submit the recording to the clerk of the committee.
Committee defends its mandate
Mr Ghartey and his committee members defended their mandate, indicating that the decision was supported by the 1992 Constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament.
He dismissed the suggestion of conflict of interest against him, he being an MP serving as the Chairman of the committee, and stated that he would not recuse himself.
He said the committee had the power of a High Court and indicated that it would present its report to the House to be discussed.
Meanwhile, Mr Ghartey said the committee had decided to call witnesses, starting with Mr Osei-Owusu, the rest being Alhaji Muntaka-Mubarak, Mr Ayariga and Mr Agyarko.
The three are to appear before the committee on Friday, February 17, 2017.
Mr Ghartey said the other members of the ACP who had some issues could submit memoranda to the committee by Friday for the committee to consider whether to invite them or not.
