The Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Asawasi, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka has noted that the bribery allegation levelled by Mr Mahama Ayariga was one of the most shocking moments of his life.
Nonetheless, he said he was getting over it and putting it behind him.
In a radio interview on Accra-based Citi FM Thursday evening, he said: “I think that we are all getting over it but I must admit that, it’s one of the most shocking moments of my life, when I had to be between this kind of heated thing between my friend, my party and another person but I’m happy that we are all trying to get over it and I wish and pray that we all pick the lessons of it so that next time this never happens.”
“For me, it was very painful…God out there, I don’t know if he [God] could send an angel to tell whether truly Osei-Wusu gave me anything, if you want to talk about how things are done in parliament and those things, we can talk about that but in this particular instance, I’m really very sorry that those things never happened.”
Speaking about the matter for the first time since Parliament brought a closure to it, Alhaji Muntaka insisted that he doubted if there was any true Muslim who would want to give false witness knowing the consequences and gravity of it in Islam.
“There is no way you can get any dedicated Muslim doing that because the consequences is not just about the earth here, but the hereafter and I was very mindful of that.”
“I really wish it never happened, it didn’t have to be between my best friend [Ayariga] and whoever he wanted to accuse but the sad thing is that I am a very serious practising Muslim and there is no way I will support false witness no matter what is involved.”
Question: Was it very difficult for you to betray your brother Ayariga?
Muntaka: “I don’t see it as betrayal, it was very difficult for me to support a brother and friend in the course he was charting, a decision was taken to speak the very truth.”
Question: Why do you think that Okudzeto, Suhuyini, Ayariga and others ganged up against you and said you have given them money and they have more witnesses against you?
Muntaka: “I will not want us to be discussing at a time that I think that all of us are getting over it. But remember the committee [Appointments] is made up of 26 members and if three are saying something, what about the silent ones…even the Minority is 10, what happened to the 6 [silent ones] excluding me.”
Question: Did you not face challenges from party members who were not happy that you are not supporting your brother to nail the NPP?
Muntaka: “Let me say that I will not want to be talking about party issues on the radio because I believe party issues are discussed in a close circuit. I would not want to be talking about what the party did or what the party say, I believe that we’ve overcome that, let’s just move on.”
Question: When was the last time you spoke with Mahama Ayariga?
Muntaka: “I think we both travelled, I think we’ve all travelled, I think the very day we rose, we spoke, but we’ve all travelled, I came the day before yesterday and I’m not sure whether he is back or maybe he is somewhere in his constituency.”
Question: Did the two of you discuss this matter outside the chamber, outside the floor of parliament?
Muntaka: “Yeah many times.”
Question: And what was it about?
Muntaka: “I’ve told you that let us move on.”
Question: Did you apologise to him or did he apologise to you?
Muntaka: “I don’t want to talk about that.”
Question: What was the conversation about?
Muntaka: “Let’s move on.”
Question: Would you say the apology he rendered on the floor was a conditional one?
Muntaka: “He made the apology, apologies, how you go deep into his heart to know whether it was sincere or not, that is qualitative, the most important thing is that he made the apology and let’s move on.”