A private legal practitioner Gary Nimako Marfo has said Mahama Ayariga, MP for Bawku Central, did not show any remorse in his second apology to parliament.
Speaking on Newsfile Saturday, the astute lawyer said Ayariga's demeanour when he was reading his apology on Friday said he appeared to have rendered the apology because he was told to do so and not because he had regretted his allegation.
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“He wasn’t remorseful of what he did. He did not show any remorse,” he said.
According to him, Ayariga’s allegation was “much ado about nothing,” saying he predicted the matter wouldn’t go anywhere.
In his view, Ayariga should have been given the “harshest” punishment because he had damaged the integrity of the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei Owusu, Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak and Boakye Agyarko, Energy Minister.
“He made comments he could not substantiate,” he said. “He put people’s reputation on the line.”
His comments follow Mahama Ayariga's unconditional apology to Parliament on Friday after the Joe Ghartey Committee tasked to investigate the allegation concluded that he was peddling rumours and that he had no evidence to back his claims.
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The committee’s report found him guilty of contempt of Parliament and instructed him to apologize to the house.
The Speaker of Parliament pardoned him and said he should “go and sin no more” after he rendered an unqualified apology to parliament.