Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga East, Dr Dominic Ayine says the Asawase MP consulted him before taking a decision to retract bribery allegations leveled against a Supreme Court judge.
“I also serve as an advisor to Muntaka on many of these matters. I am deeply involved in this and I know what actually happened,” he said.
According to him, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka retracted the allegations leveled against a Supreme Court judge to preserve the cordial relationship between the judiciary and the legislature.
Speaking to JoyNews’ Samson Lardy Anyenini on Newsfile, Dr Ayine said the move by Mr. Muntaka after several consultations is meant to keep Ghana’s growing democracy intact.
“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,” he said.
He indicated that should the Asawase MP have remained resolute and not retracted his accusations, several activities that would have led to proving such claims would “rupture the cordial relationship between the two arms of government.”
“The judiciary driving 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 stated.
Although the former Deputy Attorney General believes the right thing has been done, he, however, said Mr. Muntaka should have made investigations into the matter before making his claims public.
Mr Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka on February 6, in a press release retracted an allegation that a Justice of the Supreme Court tried to bribe a National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament-elect (MP) to influence her in the election of a Speaker of Parliament.
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He also apologised for any harm done to the image and reputation of the Lord Justices of the Supreme Court and members of the Judiciary.
“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,” parts of the release sighted by JoyNews read.