The Majority Caucus in Parliament has criticised the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin for his refusal to release Madina MP, Francis Xavier-Sosu to police for investigations.
In a statement, the majority caucus stated that the position by the Speaker was troubling and a departure from previous incidents where Speakers of Parliament have worked together with the Police for sitting MPs to be interrogated.
“The Majority Leadership views the foregoing response by Speaker Bagbin as a troubling departure from how his predecessors handled such requests. To avoid doubt, when both Rt. Hons. Joyce Bamford Addo and Edward Doe Adjaho received those requests during their days in office, they responded by inviting the relevant MPs, held discussions with them, and then asked them to report the requesting Police or investigative authorities.
“Again, during his tenure as Speaker, Rt Hon Professor Mike Oquaye modified the arrangement, including making the Speaker’s Conference Room available to the Police to meet with MPs they were interested in and to conduct initial investigations. He did this to protect the dignity of MPs while at the same time ensuring that MPs are not put above the law.
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“Now the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Rt. Hon Bagbin, appears to be instituting new rules that seem to undermine the Rule of Law without any prior discussions with the Leadership of the House. We ask: What exactly has changed? As a group, the Majority believes firmly that constitutionally guaranteed immunity for MPs in our democracy must not only be protected always but jealously guarded as well. However, never should we, as a Parliament, make the mistake of allowing immunity to be construed to mean impunity.”
The spokesperson for Madina MP Francis Xavier Sosu, Bansi Abubakar Abdul Hamid yesterday said the MP has not been served with any criminal summons.
He explained that Francis Sosu is still working as a sitting Member of Parliament and security has been provided for his family after his bodyguard was interdicted.
Bansi Abubakar Abdul Hamid was responding to a statement from the police that they have secured a judicial order for the Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu, to appear in court on November 8, 2021.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of a meeting by the Inspector General of Police and selected Civil Society Organizations, the Acting Director-General for the Public Affairs Department of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Kwesi Ofori said the MP is expected to answer questions in court on November 8.