A Member of Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Alhassan Suhuyini has noted that the Minority Chief Whip, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka was only managing information in the bribery scandal when he denied his involvement in the matter that has hit the Committee.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show in reaction to a disclaimer issued by the Minority Chief Whip who has been named by the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga as the person who disbursed GHc3,000 to the minority members on the committee., Suhuyini said Muntaka Mubarak responded to the issues as a leader should.
Mr. Ayariga alleged that the money was given to Muntaka by the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Osei-Owusu for onward disbursement; a claim which both the Chairman and Muntaka had rubbished.
Mubarak in a radio interview said it is untrue that he gave Mahama Ayariga money meant to bribe him [Ayariga] and his colleagues to support the approval of the Energy Minister.
“I’m a Muslim and Ayariga is a Muslim. I’m swearing by the Allah that created him that I never gave Ayariga anything and I said it was from Osei-Owusu. Osei Owusu has never discussed any money issue with me. He has never given me any money to be given to Ayariga and I’ve never given Ayariga or anybody any money saying that it was coming from the Chairman.”
But speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, Alhassan Suhuyini who is also the Member of Parliament for the Tamale Central constituency called for speedy investigation into the matter.
He together with Mahama Ayariga and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa [all members of the Appointments Committee] had petitioned the leadership of Parliament to probe the scandal.
“…I want to put on record is that this is not about who is lying and who is telling the truth, this about responsibilities. The responsibility of the chief whip in Parliament is to ensure that members of Parliament are catered for; their welfare matters are his responsibility. And as a leader, you tend to have more information, you tend to know better and perhaps you tend to understand the repercussions that other members may not have the opportunity to. So in circumstances like this the leader may decide to take an unpopular decision and that does not make him a bad leader and that has to be established moving forward. That is why to a large extent I understand where Alhaji Muntaka is coming from, I think he is doing his job as expected of him, he is managing the information,” Suhuyini noted.
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