Parliament has reconstituted the Privileges Committee of the House.
This follows the decision by three (3) members of the committee to recuse themselves from the committee’s investigation of an alleged contemptuous comment by Kennedyy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central in the Central Region.
[contextly_sidebar id=”2Pv5RHV9z8fK0NGXeaY7SG9WyU65fyWw”]The three (3) MPs, who are all from the Central Region said they could not guarantee their impartiality in the matter since the alleged contemnor was the Chairman of the Central Regional caucus of Parliament, which they belong to.
The MPs are Gomoa Central MP, Naana Eyiah Quansah; Agona West MP, Cynthia Morrison and Upper Denkyira West MP, Samuel Nsowah-Djan.
The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, while commenting on the development on the floor of Parliament on Monday slammed the three (3) MPs for their decision to recuse themselves from the committee.
He however named three MPs who will replace them to enable the committee continue to hold sitting on the matter.
The replacements are Yaw Buaben Asamoah, Adentan MP; Yaw Maama Afful, Jaman South MP; and Nana Akua Afriyie, Ablekuma North MP.
Chairman of the Privileges Committee, Joseph Osei Owusu, last week suspended the sitting because Mr. Agyapong’s lawyers said among other things that some members of the committee had recused themselves from the hearing.
According to them, per the standing orders, the Chairman of the committee is to suspend sitting, inform the leadership of Parliament while replacements are made.
Joseph Osei Owusu after consideration of the matter indefinitely suspended the sitting.
Muntaka reports Kennedy Agyapong
Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, filed a motion that led to Kennedy Agyapong being referred to the Privileges Committee upon his conviction that Kennedy Agyapon’s public utterances about the House was contemptuous.
Muntaka Mubarak, who subsequently engaged in a fierce media war with Kennedy Agyapong over the matter, appeared before the committee to give evidence to back his claims to get Mr. Agyapong sanctioned.
The committee subsequently established a prima facie case against Mr. Agyapong, hence his appointment with the committee.
Muntaka Mubarak had earlier said in a Citi News interview that he believes Kennedy Agyapong must be suspended for his utterances.
“I strongly believe that Parliament should suspend this gentleman for the rest of the year. He doesn’t deserve to be sitting in the House,” Muntaka Mubarak said on Eyewitness News last week.
Muntaka Mubarak had earlier said an apology from Kennedy Agyapong would settle the matter.
“If he appears and he apologizes, I am sure it will end there, but if he appears and he is going to flex there, then obviously, it will go through the full haul.”
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By: Duke Mensah-Opoku & Jonas Nyabor/citinewsroom.com/Ghana