Muntaka’s half baked apology, not enough - Kwaku Azar

Lawyer Kwaku Asare aka Kwaku Azar has described the apology of Muntaka Mubarak, the Asawase MP over his bribery allegation against a Supreme Court judge as half-baked.

The lawyer says the MP should offer an unqualified apology if his allegation is unfounded and not true.

He says the apology by the MP for generalizing his allegation is not enough because if the allegation is true, a probe must be conducted to unravel the truth.

“This, to me, is hardly adequate. Either the allegation in its entirety is false and he must withdraw same in its entirety, render an unqualified and unconditional apology and fall on his sword by being made to answer for his contumacious remarks.

Or there is a basis for the allegation and a full-throttle investigation is still warranted to unravel the puzzle.

However, I’m not oblivious of our “fa ma nyame” culture and I’m certain that we will close the chapter on this one and move on, as if nothing has happened.

In fact, I won’t be surprised if the broad-based consultation he says he made reached a settlement that we the masses be given a tranquillizer in the form of this half-baked apology.”

Muntaka had alleged that before the election of Speaker, a Supreme Court judge attempted bribing an NDC MP to vote for Aaron Mike Oquaye.

But he says in his statement that he has allowed sleeping dogs to lie as he is not pursuing the matter again.

“Based upon good counsel, I have also decided to let sleeping dogs lie and will consequently refrain from any further public commentary on the matter which, as I have indicated was originally reported to me by a female colleague Parliamentarian,” part of a release said.

Mr. Muntaka admitted in his statement that not specifically naming any judge “may have had the effect of scandalizing the judiciary in its entirety.”

“This unintended consequence is deeply regretted,” he added.

“It is my fervent prayer that the existing historic cordial relations between the legislature and the judiciary will not be affected by this incident but will continue to grow in the interest of the country,” the statement concluded.

But reacting, the lawyer said: “Surely, we must let sleeping dogs lie. But that is not to say that we must put barking dogs to sleep.”

Read his full opinion below

I read somewhere (see below) that Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, the honorable MP for Asawasi has retracted his allegation against members of the Supreme Court.

When one reads the purported apology carefully, as one should, one easily sees that he is not really withdrawing the allegation but apologizing for making a general, rather than a specific, allegation. That is, he is apologizing for saying Supreme Court justices, rather than mentioning the name of the Justice involved, but “letting sleeping dogs lie” on the allegation itself against the Justice.

This, to me, is hardly adequate. Either the allegation in its entirety is false and he must withdraw same in its entirety, render an unqualified and unconditional apology and fall on his sword by being made to answer for his contumacious remarks.

Or there is a basis for the allegation and a full throttle investigation is still warranted to unravel the puzzle.

However, I’m not oblivious of our “fa ma nyame” culture and I’m certain that we will close the chapter on this one and move on, as if nothing has happened.

In fact, I won’t be surprised if the broad based consultation he says he made reached a settlement that we the masses be given a tranquilizer in the form of this half-baked apology.

In the process, those who claimed his allegation was baseless will claim victory. Those who claim it had merit will equally claim victory. The only victims are truth and what actually happened.

It is my hope that this apology does not preempt the judicial inquiry into the matter. The allegation, if true, is serious enough to warrant some consequences. And equally, if it is false and had no basis, is serious enough to warrant some consequences.

Surely, we must let sleeping dogs lie. But that is not to say that we must put barking dogs to sleep.

There must be consequences for #SALL. A conditional apology won’t do. It must be seated in Parliament.

Da Yie!