Judiciary bribery allegation: Dr Ayine explains why he advised Muntaka to apologise

Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine (NDC - Bolgatanga East MP), has explained that he was part of those who advised Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka (NDC- AsawaseMP) to apologise to the judiciary over the latter’s bribery allegation.

Muntaka alleged on 7 January that a Supreme Court judge was persuading a female MP from the NDC caucus in Parliament to vote for Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye during the election of the Speaker for the 8th Parliament.

However, speaking on Newsfile on Joy FM on Saturday after Muntaka had published an apology, Dr Ayine stated that even though he knew what actually happened, he advised his colleague to retract the allegation and apologise in order to keep Ghana’s democracy growing.

“Our democracy is still fragile and we need to as much as possible ensure that it grows very well. Sometimes, when these things happen, you have institutions locking horns or personalities in institutions locking horns,” Ayine said, suggesting that all is not well between the legislature and the judiciary.

Dr Ayine noted that if his colleague had not heeded his advice, several activities that would have led to proving such claims would “rupture the cordial relationship between the two arms of government”.

Ayine, a former deputy Attorney-General, gave a typical scenario thus: “The judiciary drives an MP to a committee hearing or contempt proceedings and so forth… Remember we are two coequal branches of government and the judiciary wouldn’t have been able to say that Parliament should not make an enquiry into this. And if we were making an enquiry into this and it is a public enquiry, you’ll find out that the two arms of government are at loggerheads and fighting each other.”

He indicated further that Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka should have made the necessary investigation before making the claims public.

Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, on Saturday, February 6, in a press release retracted an allegation that a Supreme Court Justice tried to bribe an NDC MP-elect to influence her in the election of a Speaker of Parliament.

In his apology statement, the MP apologised for any harm done to the image and reputation of the Lord Justices of the Supreme Court and members of the Judiciary.

He stressed, “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.”