The Minority in Parliament has filed a motion seeking a review of Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to reject its request for a bipartisan parliamentary investigation into recent drug seizures linked to Ghana.
The motion follows Bagbin’s ruling during an emergency sitting of Parliament, where he argued that the cases were already being handled by the appropriate state agencies and that further parliamentary action could amount to interference in their work.
However, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin insists that the continued seizure of suspected drugs linked to Ghana outside the country makes parliamentary scrutiny necessary.
Speaking during a leadership engagement with the Parliamentary Press Corps, the Effutu MP said the Minority was concerned about the possible consequences of drug trafficking for communities in Ghana and wanted Parliament to intervene before the situation worsened.
“The data also reaches into our communities. Transit trafficking can feed domestic drug markets. Some drugs may be diverted for local safety and trafficking networks can develop local distribution channels,” he said.
He warned that drug trafficking networks could also contribute to other security challenges.
“Drug markets also carry the effects of intimidation, armed robbery, retaliation and corruption,” Afenyo-Markin stated.
He was, however, careful not to directly link specific crimes to the drug shipments without evidence.
“We will not attribute particular crime to these shipments without evidence. Neither will we wait for criminal networks to become and train before demanding action,” he added.
The Minority Leader said the proposed intervention was intended to ensure that Parliament examines the broader implications of the seizures and considers appropriate action.
The motion for review seeks to reopen the matter after the Speaker declined the initial request for a bipartisan probe.
Afenyo-Markin also questioned why officials responsible for combating drug trafficking had not been dismissed despite the repeated seizures involving suspected narcotics linked to Ghana.
His concerns come amid renewed attention to Ghana’s role in international drug trafficking following the arrest of a Syrian national at Beirut airport after arriving from Accra with approximately 40 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine concealed in luggage.
The National Intelligence Bureau and Narcotics Control Commission have previously been involved in investigations and operations targeting drug trafficking networks, while the Minority is calling for greater parliamentary oversight.
The Speaker’s earlier ruling, however, maintained that the relevant state institutions should be allowed to carry out their work without parliamentary interference.
