Members of Parliament are returning to the House today, January 5, 2018 after being summoned by the Speaker, Prof. Mike Oquaye, over the $100, 000 fee charged expatriates to sit closer to the President Nana Akufo-Addo at an awards ceremony last year.
The emergency sitting is at the behest of the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) who wants a bi-partisan probe into the case.
The sitting is scheduled to take place at 12pm.
According to the Majority leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, who is also the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, the Minority’s call is unnecessary, further noting that it will amount to abuse of the House’s procedures.
“The question to ask is whether this request falls in that category. Is it a matter that has suddenly arisen? No. It has been with us. If it has been with us was any attempt made by any member of the Minority to request that maybe some oversight [should] be conducted in this case?
“Then, if the Speaker refuses to accept it and the matter is of urgency and parliament is requested to sit on the matter that could be acceptable. Except that in this case no such request was made…and so it appears to me that in this case it is an abuse of the processes,” he stated on Morning Starr Thursday, December 28, 2017.
However, the Minority insists there is a need for a probe into circumstances leading to the monies charged questioning the presidency’s exoneration of the Trade and Industry Minister in connection with the matter.
“We are going to insist on parliamentary enquiry. Who audits the auditor? So the presidency think they can set their own questions and mark them and give themselves ‘A’? It is impossible. Parliament bi-partisan probe is going to come in. We are going to insist on it,” Minority spokesperson on Finance Cassiel Ato Forson told Starr News’ Parliamentary Correspondent Ibrahim Alhassan.
He said the committee should be expected early January.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
