Ghana's parliament sets up committee to probe bribery allegation

The Parliament of Ghana on Tuesday set up a five-member special committee to probe a bribery allegation leveled against the Appointments Committee of the House.

The decision comes days after one of the legislators, Mahama Ayariga, alleged on a local radio that then Minister of Energy-designate, Boakye Agyarko, had given each member of the minority 3,000 Ghana cedis through the Vetting Committee's Chairman, Joe Osei-Owusu, and Muntaka Mubarak, Minority Chief Whip.

According to Ayariga, initially they thought the cash was a sitting allowance for committee members but returned it when they heard rumors that the amount had been brought by Agyarko to influence them to approve his ministerial nomination.

Osei-Owusu and Muntaka have both denied the allegation.

Later, Ayariga, joined by two other lawmakers, wrote a petition to the Speaker of Parliament, Mike Aaron Oquaye, to investigate the matter.

Oquaye has assured Ghanaians that nothing would be swept under the carpet despite the committee members coming from parliament.

He cautioned Members of Parliament to refrain from making further public comments on the issue.

"It will be very dignifying if members do not undermine the work of the committee with public comments," he said.

The panel has four weeks to conclude its investigations. Endit