The chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu has disclosed that he will push for the review of the committee following a bribery allegation leveled against it.
Speaking Saturday on Citi FM’s Current Affairs programme, The Big Issue, he said: “I will make a statement and invite the leadership and the speaker to review that committee.”
Mahama Ayariga, a member of the committee Friday alleged that each member of the committee on the minority side had been compromised with a GHc3000 to approve the nominations of Boakye Agyarko, Energy minister.
According to him, the energy minister’s bribery attempt was made through the chairman of the committee and that the money was given to the minority caucus through its chief whip, Muntaka Mubarak.
But speaking Saturday on the same show, Mr. Mubarak denied Mr. Ayariga’s narration, describing it as untrue and strange.
“I am a Muslim, Ayariga is a Muslim, and I am swearing by Allah that has created him and I, I never gave Ayariga anything that it was coming from Osei Owusu.
“Osei Owusu has never given any money to me, he has never given me any money to be given to Ayariga. I have never given Ayariga any money saying that it was coming from the Chairman and that is all that I will say,” he told Citi FM.
Thus, in order to ensure the allegation is investigated thoroughly, Mr. Owusu said he believed the committee should be reviewed.
“My only challenge now is that we have postponed consideration of some members for appointment for so long and I’m not sure it is fair to them to postpone sitting again. Otherwise I would have refused to sit until those matters are resolved and whoever took money in whose name is brought out,” he said
