How can Ayariga return money he wasn’t given? – Muntaka

Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak Mohammed has told a parliamentary ad hoc committee inquiring into a bribery scandal that he has not waived the fact that he never gave any money to Mahama Ayariga purported to be a bribe.

A key witness in the biggest scandal to have rocked the legislator over a decade said he was utterly shocked when his colleague made the allegation that he gave out 3000 cedis to each minority member on the parliamentary Appointments Committee as bribe.

The MP for Bawku Central Mahama Ayariga had claimed that the Minority Chief Whip (Muntaka) gave him 3000 cedis in a closet as well as some MPs to approve the then president’s nominee for Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko.

Muntaka Mubarak had flatly denied the allegation through the media, and when he appeared before the ad hoc committee he maintained that stand.

He was categorical that he never gave Mr. Ayariga any money, neither did he take any money from Joe Osei Owusu (chairman of the Appointments Committee) nor Boakye Agyarko as Ayariga claimed.

The Bawku Central MP who earlier took his turn at the committee restated his allegation and affirmed that the money was returned when he and others realized it was a bribe.

“As I said no money was given to anybody so how can that money be returned?” Muntaka rebutted at the committee.

Munkaka who is the MP for Asawase in the Ashanti Region said he was “shocked” to hear comments by his colleague that he took bribe on their behalf.

Best friend Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak said Ayariga is his “best friend”, the more reason why he was stunned by the allegation made by no other person than the Bawku Central MP.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, I state that I have never been involved or played any role in the bribery” allegation, he read from a statement he had early on presented to the committee as witness.