Ablakwa requests to testify at Ghartey Committee

Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has requested that he be allowed to testify at the Ghartey Committee as a witness.

The five-member committee, headed by Essikado Ketan MP, Joe Ghartey was set up to investigate allegations by Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga that the Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko, had through the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Joe Osei Owusu and the Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka tried to bribe minority members of the committee after his nomination was withheld over some statements he made during his vetting.

During its first sitting yesterday [Wednesday], Mr Ghartey indicated that they intended to call only four witnesses, Messrs Osei-Owusu, Ayariga, Agyarko and Muntaka and asked anybody who had any information to share or wanted to appear before the committee to communicate it to them through a memo.

It is based on this that Mr Ablakwa through his lawyers, Ayine & Felli, was making the request.

Also, Mr Osei-Owusu during his testimony to the committee mentioned our client as having told him that the bribery allegation was made up to equalise Mr Agyarko’s claim that former President John Mahama was corrupt.

But in the letter to the committee, Mr Ablakwa’s lawyers indicated, with such claims agianst him, it was necessary for their client to be given the opportunity to react.

“Since our client was not given an opportunity to cross-examine Hon. Joseph Osei-Owusu on this unsubstantiated piece of evidence, it would surely be in accord with the rules of natural justice that our client be heard in his own defence before your Committee”, the wrote.