5 MPs Refuse To Cover-Up The Agyarko Bribery Scandal

Three NDC Members of Parliament will be petitioning the Speaker of Parliament today requesting for an internal inquiry into the Boakye Agyarko Bribery scandal that has rocked the Appointment Committee of Parliament.

The three MPs are The honorable member for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, the honorable member for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa and the honorable member for Tamale North, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini.

In a letter that will be presented to the Speaker today and which this paper has sighted, the three state; "We jointly request you to carry out an internal inquiry into the veracity of the clams made by us in the allegation of attempted bribery of the Minority Members of the Appointments Committee of Parliament by a ministerial nominee. We, the three (3) Member of Parliament, will subject ourselves fully to the processes of the enquiry.

The joint action by the three is as a result of their assertion that the President's nominee for the Minister on the Appointment's Committee so they will pass him to enable him be sworn in as the Minister of Energy by the President.

The bribery attempt first became public on Friday, January 27, 2017, when Radio Gold's political report, Samuel Ablordeppey, spilled the beans by reporting that the Minority in parliament's appointment committee had rejected an amount of GH3,000 from Boakye Agyarko whose nomination they were holding up because they wanted him to substantiate allegations of corruption he had made against Former President Mahama as well as his claim that the Former president had yielded to pressures from the world bank and initiated unpopular policies.

According to the reporter, he had a call from a source in Parliament about the attempted bribery. He followed up to parliament where some members of the Minority serving on the appointments committee confirmed the attempted bribery.

The MPs who confirmed the story to him explained that after the committee had worked at odd hours, sometimes closing late, they demanded extra money as their allowances. On Thursday, January 26, the Speaker assured the committee that he had forwarded their concerns to the appropriate quarters for their demands to be met."

The following day, the minority Chief Whit, Hon. Muntaka Mubarak distributed envelops with each containing GH3,00 to the Minority members of the the committee.

Initially the MPs' thought the money was meant for their allowances but later found out that the money was sent to them by the embattled Boakye Agyarko for obvious reasons. They quickly returned the money. Independent investigation carried by the Daily Post indicates that a decision was taken by the leadership of the Minority not to tkae the mater to the press. However, five MPs namely Mahama Ayariga, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Alhassan Suhuyini, Erick Opoku and Sampson Ahi chose to disregard the leadership's position and went to town with the bribery attempt.

Confirming the Radio Gold expose, Mahama Ayariga confirmed receiving an amount of GH3,000 from the Minority Chief Whip via the Chairman of the Appointments Committee Hon. Joe Osei Owusu.

Hon. Ayariga said the money was meant to influence them thus decision to return it to the Chairman so he will give it back to the giver.

Though Boakye Agyarko has already been sworn in as Minister of Energy, the bribery allegation is still an albatross around his neck especially with decision of the three to petition the Speaker for an internal enquiry.