Opposition MP, Mubarak Muntaka, says he is sorry for the “harm done to the image and reputation” of the Supreme Court following his unsubstantiated allegations
- “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.”
National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Asawase, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, has retracted a bribery allegation he made against a Supreme Court judge early January.
Mubarak alleged without evidence in a TV interview that a supreme court judge attempted to bribe a lawmaker to influence her vote during election of a Speaker of Parliament.
However, barely a month into making those claims, the opposition lawmaker has apologised “for the harm done to the image and reputation” of Supreme Court justices.
“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,” the minority chief whip said in a statement.
Below is a copy of the statement:
Chief justice’s probe
The Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, served notice the Judiciary is looking into the bribery allegation.
A statement signed by the Judicial Secretary, Justice Cynthia Pamela Addo, said the Judiciary has initiated moves to solicit the assistance of Muntaka to help bring finality to the matter.
“The Judiciary has noted with grave concern the remarks of Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka which have been widely published in the media alleging that a Justice of the Supreme Court attempted to bribe an NDC female Member of Parliament to vote for Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye in the election of a speaker for the 8th Parliament which took place on 7th January 2021,” the statement said.
“The Hon Chief Justice is therefore taking steps to solicit the assistance of Mohammed -Mubarak Muntaka, MP to establish the facts in order that the matter can be dealt with appropriately,” it added.
It said the Judiciary takes the allegation of impropriety as a matter of grave import to the integrity of the Service.
Independent body of investigation
Meanwhile, a private legal practitioner, Prof Kwaku Azar, has commended the Judiciary for initiating investigation into the allegations.
He, however, wants the investigation to be carried thoroughly by an independent panel body similar to the Special Investigation Board set up to inquire into the murder of the three judges and the retired army officer in the ’80s.
He posted on Facebook: “The Judiciary must be commended for initiating investigations into the rather serious allegation that a Supreme Court Justice attempted to bribe an MP in the case of electing the Speaker of the 8th Parliament. This action is in line with our call for a thorough, independent investigation. No serious country allows such allegations to just hang out there.”
“To add credibility to the investigation, I urge that the investigation should be done by an independent panel, similar to the Special Investigation Board set up to inquire into the murder of the 3 judges and the retired army officer,” he added.
Source: asaaseradio
