Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko has denied paying GH¢3,000 to Minority members of the Appointments Committee to approve his nomination.
“I will state categorically without any equivocation that I have never contrived or paid any money to wave a decision in my favour” he told the Joe Ghartey Committee investigation the bribery allegation made by Bawku Central Member of Parliament, Mahama Ayariga.
Both the accuser and the accused have all taken entrenched positions on their claims. Whiles Mahama Ayariga maintained that he received bribe money from his Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak as bribe from Chairman of the Appointment Committee, Joe Osei-Wusu, both men have vehemently denied the allegation.
Also, Boakye Agyarko, the man at the centre of the bribery scandal when he appeared before the Committee described the allegation by Mahama Ayariga as “outlandish”.
“At no point from my vetting did I feel the confirmation of my nomination was at risk and therefore had no motive to bribe anybody. If at all my confirmation was at risk, I knew there was a majority in the appointments committee who could approve me by majority decision and same could be done in plenary so there was no motive all in paying any bribe” he stressed.
The Energy Minister explained that, he felt incredulous about the matter and said without” a fear of contradiction that I paid no bribe”.
“The matter was so outlandish it will fall flat on its own face. And I had spoken to about ten or eleven radio stations refuting that allegation and I thought that was enough so I didn’t consider a rejoinder” Mr. Agyarko stated.
