Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, P.C. Appiah-Ofori has called for the expulsion of Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga from Parliament for the 'false' allegations of bribery he leveled against Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko.
Mr Ayariga, a member of the Appointments Committee on Friday, January 27, alleged that Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko whose ministerial nomination had been withheld at the time had attempted to bribe the minority members of the Appointments Committee with GHC3,000 each to influence them to confirm his nomination.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Radio Gold, he alleged that Mr Agyarko had given the bribe money to Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu to be given to minority members through their Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka.
Though Honourables Osei-Owusu and Muntaka later denied the allegations, some minority MPs including Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (North Tongu) and Alhassan Suhuyini (Tamale South) corroborated Mr Ayariga's claim leading Parliament to form a five-member ad-hoc committee to investigate the matter.
The ad-hoc committee chaired by Essikado-Ketan MP, Joe Ghartey presented its report to the House on Thursday exonerating Messrs Osei-Owusu, Muntaka and Agyarko and found Mr Ayariga in contept of parliament.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Mr Ghartey explained that having heard the witnesses and conducted their own investigations they had concluded that "Mr Ayariga failed to prove indeed that Hon. Boakye Agyarko gave money to Hon. Joseph Osei-Owusu to be distributed to members of the Appointments Committee with a view to bribe them".
The Committee thus "came to the firm conclusion that Mr Mahama Ayariga is in Contempt of Parliament on the strength of Article 122 of the 1992 Constitution, Section 32 of the Parliament Act 1965 (Act 300) and Orders 28 and 30 (2) of the Standing Orders of Parliament".
It, therefore, recommended among others "that Mr Mahama Ayariga renders an unqualified apology to the House, purging himself of contempt".
But commenting on the Ghartey Committee's report on Friday, Mr Appiah-Ofori was of the opinion that Mr Ayariga should be made to face a more stiffer punishment.
According to him, the conduct of the Bawku Central MP had caused serious damage to the image of Parliament which a mere apology cannot compensate.
"Mahama Ayariga did something which brings the image of Parliament into disrepute and should should be expelled", he said in an interview on Class FM.
He, however, commended the committee for its work saying it could not have come to any better conclusion because "I believe that the appointee [Boakye Agyarko] did not give money to the appointment committee".