[ 2017-01-30 ]

CHRAJ boss, Joseph Akanjoluer Whittal

We'll step in if Parliament fails to investigate Ayariga bribery claim - CHRAJ
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative
Justice (CHRAJ) says it is ready to investigate
the alleged bribery allegation in Parliament if
its leadership fails in that regard.

CHRAJ boss Joseph Akanjoluer Whittal said the
Commission wants the Speaker to independently
probe the matter, adding they would step in if
nothing is done to unravel the the truth about the
matter.

“The Commission know the Members of Parliament
(MPs) are public officers [and] allegations of
corruption and dishonesty are matters that we can
investigate, but as an arm of government the
Commission would also prefer to defer to
Parliament to rise up to the task,” he said.

Mr Akanjoluer Whittal disclosed this in an
interview with Gifty Andoh Appiah, host of The
Pulse programme on the JOYNEWS channel on MultiTV
Monday.

Parliament has again been hit with a bribery
allegation since its integrity was questioned in
2008 when former Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa MP, Paul
Collins Appiah-Ofori alleged $5,000 was doled out
to some MPs by erstwhile President John Kufuor’s
government during the final vote for the sale of
Ghana Telecom to United Kingdom (UK)’s Vodafone
Plc.

Nine years down the line, Bawku Central MP Mahama
Ayariga claimed on Accra-based Radio Gold Friday
that GHC3,000 was offered to minority National
Democratic Congress (NDC) members on the
Appointments Committee to approve Boakye Agyarko
as Energy Minister.

He said when they were told the money was given to
the Committee by Mr Agyarko, they returned it.

Two members of leadership of the House –
Minority Chief Whip Alhaji Mubarak Muntaka, and
Committee Chairman Joseph Osei Owusu were cited in
the allegation, but they have refuted it.

Mr Osei Owusu disclosed on Joy FM/MultiTV’s
Newsfile programme Saturday that he had not dealt
with Mr Ayariga in the course of the vetting
process. Alhaji Muntaka has also sworn by Allah
that he never gave any money to the legislator.

Sections of Ghanaians have been enraged by the
development resulting in calls for a full scale
investigation to be undertaken.
Mr Ayariga and two of his colleagues – Samuel
Okudzeto Ablakwa and Alhassan Suhuyini have
petitioned Speaker of Parliament Professor Mike
Aaron Ocquaye to investigate the matter.

CHRAJ Act 1993 (ACT 456) stipulates that the
Commission also has the power to;
Investigate complaints of violations of
fundamental rights and freedoms, injustice,
corruption, abuse of power, and unfair treatment
of any person by a public officer in the exercise
of his official duties.

To investigate complaints concerning the
functioning of the Public Service, the
administrative organs of state, the Armed Forces,
the Police Service, and the Prisons Service in so
far as the complaints relate to the failure to
achieve a balanced structure of those services, or
equal access by all to the recruitment of those
services or fair administration in relation to
those services.

With this backdrop, Mr Akanjoluer Whittal said
CHRAJ has the power to investigate the issue
because MPs concerned are public officers.
He said because Parliament is the second arm of
government, it is important it carries out its
investigation in a transparent manner failing
which he said the Commission would rise up to its
constitutional duties.

“We will be dealing with the speaker; we know
three MPs have petitioned [and] we will see to
what extent they are positioned to see whether
what they are putting in place will not work,”
he said.

“These are honourable men and women and we
expect them to do the right thing. The speaker
will ensure that the rules and the laws of the
country are met,” he said, adding any committee
set up has to act transparently.

“This is not an issue of having an in-camera
meeting, the matter affects the integrity of Ghana
[and] I will call upon the Speaker to ensure that
the people he appoints [and] the nature of the
Committee should be transparent,” he said.

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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