Pardoned; Go and Sin no more – Speaker to Ayariga

The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Ocquaye has pardoned the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central after he was indicted of contempt by the five-member ad hoc committee charged to probe the bribery allegation he made against the leadership of the Appointments Committee.

In his ruling Friday, Prof. Ocquaye said:  “In all the circumstances of this case, I have come to the conclusion that the Honourable Ayariga should be shown mercy on this occasion. May he go and sin no more. He is warned never to peddle such expensive rumours in his affairs in this house.

“I must also extend a warning to some four or five honorable members who deemed it proper to make untoward lies apparently in support of Ayariga regarding the conduct for which the Honorable Ayariga has now apologised.”

Mr. Ayariga in January alleged that the Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko had attempted bribing members of the Appointments Committee from the minority to clear him for the position he currently holds following his edgy vetting—but they rejected it.

As a result, the speaker constituted the five-member ad hoc committee chaired by former Attorney General Joe Ghartey to probe the allegations.

And after days of sitting and scrutiny of the evidence provided by the witnesses that appeared  before it,  including Mr. Ayariga, the Joe Ghartey Committee charged the former for “gravely injuring” the image of the chairman of the vetting committee and parliament.

According to the report, Mr. Ayariga “failed to ascertain the veracity of the rumour prior to publishing same,” hence his indictment.

The Committee thus recommended that Ayariga render an “unqualified apology” to the House and purge himself of the contempt “for gravely injuring” the reputation of the chairman of the Committee Joe Osei Owusu and Parliament.