The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has retracted and apologised to the Interior Minister, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, for alleging fraud in the ongoing security service recruitment process.

The apology, delivered on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, 4 March, followed a directive from the First Deputy Speaker, Bernard Ahiafor, who referred the Minority Leader to the Privileges Committee on grounds of contempt.

The referral came after the Interior Minister complained that the claims made against him were baseless and damaging.

Mr Afenyo-Markin had previously alleged that the involvement of a third-party IT firm in the recruitment exercise amounted to a scam and placed an undue financial burden on applicants.

In his statement before the House, the Minority Leader sought to clear the air. “Mr Speaker, I will not do that to hurt him or tarnish his reputation, and if the text of my concern reflected so, it is hereby accordingly withdrawn. I assure you that concerns that will arise out of any matter shall be properly brought to his attention,” he said.

Accepting the apology, Mr Muntaka described the allegations as deeply distressing, particularly given their gravity.

• Read also: Afenyo-Markin referred to Privileges Committee over security recruitment allegations

“It is painful to be wrongly accused and be labelled differently from the intention that you have, especially when it is connected with heavy wrongdoing. I am heavily hurt and heavily worried, but who am I to say that I will not accept when my colleague comes to apologise? I accept it wholeheartedly.”

He further appealed to the Speaker to have the matter expunged from the parliamentary record.

He added that "my plea is that, if it is possible, it should be expunged from our records so that it will be as though it never happened.”