“No such person has been handed any monies whatsoever' – Jerry Shaib denies claims of vetting payments to Minority MPs

Second Deputy Minority Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, has dismissed allegations that members of the Minority Caucus on Parliament’s Appointments Committee received money in connection with their participation in the vetting of ministers and Supreme Court nominees.

His comments follow reports alleging that financial allocations were made to some members of the committee during the recent vetting exercise.

Speaking on TV3, Mr Shaib said he had not received any such payment and was unaware of any member of the Minority Caucus who had been given money.

“I have not received such favours. I do not know who has received such favours,” he said.

He insisted that the Minority Caucus would not sanction or accept such an arrangement without its knowledge.

“No such person has been handed any monies whatsoever,” he said.

Mr Shaib added that any such arrangement could not be undertaken without regard to the position of the caucus.

“We don’t do that in the first place,” he said.

The Second Deputy Minority Whip said the allegations should be taken seriously because they had implications for public confidence in Parliament.

He noted that similar claims had surfaced in the past and warned that the repeated circulation of such allegations could damage the reputation of Members of Parliament.

“When there are such memos generated from connections or networks that you cannot place a finger or a hand on, that for me is a concern,” he said.

Mr Shaib also referred to growing public reactions on social media, particularly allegations of corruption involving MPs, saying such concerns could not simply be dismissed.

“It should worry everybody and wherever we find ourselves, these concerns must be dealt with,” he said.

He backed calls for an inquiry into the allegations, arguing that an investigation would help establish the facts and address concerns surrounding the reported payments.