Coming events cast their shadows and should minister designate for Energy, Boakye Agyarko be implicated in the ongoing bribery scandal that has rocked Parliament, Charles Owusu predicts he would be a “disastrous minister”.
According to Mr. Charles Owusu who is a member of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), it would be unfair for President Nana Akufo Addo to still approve the candidature of Boakye Agyarko if the Appointments Committee of Parliament is able to establish that he indeed gave out money ostensibly to have his nomination approved.
Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, has found himself in an uncomfortable zone following a damning bribery allegation he made on Radio Gold last week.
He has come under a barrage of reasonable attack from his colleagues in Parliament to produce evidence of the bribery allegation he has made against minister designate for Energy, Boakye Agyarko.
But speaking on ATV’s show Asem Yi Di Ka, the PPP scribe noted that “if he (Agyarko) truly gave the MPs bribe, then President Nana Addo must act by removing him from the list of ministers he wants to work with.
“If he has started on this note when he has not even been appointed, then he would be disastrous as minister”.
Parliament Approves 5 member Special Committee To Investigate Bribery Allegation
Parliament has set up a five-member internal Committee to probe the bribery allegations involving Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko and some leaders of the House.
Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye approved an in-house Committee after a proposal by the Majority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu for a Committee to established.
Earlier, there were suggestions that the matter should be referred to the Privileges Committee of the Legislative House but the Speaker upheld the proposal for the proposed Committee to launch investigations into the issue, explaining that the allegations of corruption is beyond the reach of the privileges.
He also referred to Standing Order 191 of Parliament, stating emphatically that the order “should also put to rest whether Parliament can inquire into matter A or matter B anytime in the history of this Republic. Parliament, as the representative of the people, is empowered inherently and is recognized in this particular part of our Standing Orders to inquire into any matter from archaeology to zoology, within the republic of Ghana.”
Parliament's Standing Order 191 establishes that Parliament may at any time, by motion, constitute a special committee to probe matters of public importance.