The Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, has opened up about the bribery scandal that hit Parliament’s Appointments Committee, describing the experience as “very painful.”
According to Alhaji Muntaka, the most painful aspect of the ordeal, that saw bribery allegations leveled against some Members of the Appointments Committee, was dealing with the fact that the allegations were made by his best friend, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga.
Speaking on the Point Blank segment of Eyewitness News, he said “I really wish it never happened. I wish I didn’t have to be in between my best friend and whoever he wanted to accuse. But the sad thing is that, I am a very serious Muslim and there is no way I will support false witness no matter what is involved.”
The fallout from the allegations saw Mahama Ayariga charged with contempt of Parliament, and subsequently compelled to apologize for the bribery allegations he made against the committee, and the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, who he said had offered the bribe to have his nomination for the portfolio passed.
Alhaji Muntaka himself, also the Asawase MP, was implicated in the bribery allegations with Mr. Ayariga alleging that the Chairman of the Appointments Committee served as a courier for the bribe money which was given to him for onward disbursement.
About a month after the dust has settled on the allegations, Alhaji Muntaka said “we are all getting over it; but I must admit that it is the most shocking moment of my life; when I had to be in this heated thing between a friend, my party and another person; but I am happy that we tried to get over it.”
He further expressed hope that his fellow MPs had “picked the lessons off it so that so that next time around, this never happens.”
“This is an issue that is better not spoken about, looking at the passion and emotions that it brings about for me it was very painful, really really very painful for me,” the MP stressed, saying “we need to let sleeping dogs lie with respect to the matter.”
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
