Occupy Ghana calls on police to investigate parliament’s bribery scandal

Public accountability pressure group, Occupy Ghana are calling for a police probe into the bribery scandal in Ghana’s parliament. On Friday January 27, 2017 member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga alleged on Accra based Radio Gold Mr Agyako, then a ministerial nominee tried bribing Minority members on the Appointment Committee of parliament with …

Public accountability pressure group, Occupy Ghana are calling for a police probe into the bribery scandal in Ghana’s parliament.

On Friday January 27, 2017 member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga alleged on Accra based Radio Gold Mr Agyako, then a ministerial nominee tried bribing Minority members on the Appointment Committee of parliament with an amount of Gh¢3000 each through the committee’s chairman Joe Osei-Owusu.

The money was to facilitate their approval of Mr. Agyarko’s nomination.

According to Mr. Ayariga who said he did not receive any money, details surrounding the sharing of the money reached him through his chief whip Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak.

Both Alhaji Mubarak and Joe Osei-Owusu have denied knowing anything about the money purported to have exchanged hands although Mr. Ayariga insists.

Meanwhile, Mr Ayariga together with two other parliamentarians, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu and Alhassan Suhuyini MP for Tamale North petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye to conduct an internal enquiry into the allegations.

But Occupy Ghana is of the opinion the matter has to go beyond the speaker’s desks.

“The present allegations of bribery are grave and sobering and impinge on the integrity not only of Parliament but also of the image of the Ghanaian Republic. These allegations must not be glossed over and brushed under the carpet by the usually lackadaisical or complicit workings of partisan politics.”

Read below Occupy Ghana’s Press Statement

OCCUPYGHANA® CALLS FOR POLICE PROBE INTO PARLIAMENTARY BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS

OccupyGhana® has observed with increasing unease, allegations and denials of corruption making the trade between Members of the Ghanaian Parliament’s Appointments Committee.

Having been profoundly disturbed by the exposés of palpable judicial corruption in Ghana’s courts, and working tirelessly over the space of our existence to help stamp out corruption in executive governance and in public service, we are unhappy about the allegations of parliamentary corruption and bribery being made by MPs against some of their number and others.

We are disturbed by the allegations of parliamentary rot and corruption by credible persons of the Ghanaian society against various other Committees selected to work on Bills such as the GIMPA Act, going as far as to accuse MPs of demanding bribes and payments before sitting on bills. We recall Parliament’s abject failure, refusal or neglect to investigate allegations of corruption made against its members by the immediate past Majority Leader, just before his elevation to that high office.

The present allegations of bribery are grave and sobering and impinge on the integrity not only of Parliament but also of the image of the Ghanaian Republic. These allegations must not be glossed over and brushed under the carpet by the usually lackadaisical or complicit workings of partisan politics.

We call for an independent Police investigation into the damning allegations and a no-holds-barred criminal prosecution of anyone found to be on the wrong side of Ghanaian law in this scandalous development. In the same vein, we demand the harshest of parliamentary and possibly criminal sanctions for those making the allegations if they prove to be false. We respectfully call on the Police CID to immediately empanel a team to commence investigations and establish the truth, or the lack thereof, in any part of the nation-wrecking allegations.

We absolutely refuse to allow Ghana’s Parliament to either add itself to the list of the country’s most corrupt institutions or become a citadel of false allegations, and our demand for this probe will settle the matter of whether or not our legislative arm of government can be trusted to uphold the rule of Law in the Ghanaian Republic.

Yours, in the perpetual Service for God & Country

OccupyGhana®

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