The Minority Group in the Parliament of Ghana has announced that they will boycott parliamentary sittings whenever their leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, appears in court to answer questions related to his alleged involvement in causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016.
According to the NDC MPs, they will only participate in parliamentary business after the court proceedings have ended on the days scheduled for the hearing of the ongoing ambulance case trial.
The Minority Chief Whip and NDC MP for Adaklu, Kwame Governs Agbodza, addressing a press conference in Accra, stated that their move is to show solidarity with their leader.
The decision comes after the presiding High Court Judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, refused to grant a request from the lawyers of the Minority Leader to enable him to attend to important parliamentary business on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, when the House resumed its third meeting of the fourth session.
The judge also rejected a similar plea from the Parliament of Ghana to enable Ato Forson to participate in a meeting of the Parliamentary Service Board.
Agbodza noted that the Minority Leader is expected to deliver a resumption address, engage with the press, and undertake other important activities as part of his legislative mandate.
He accused the trial judge of attempting to prevent the Minority Leader from performing his constitutional duties as an elected Member of Parliament and the Leader of the Minority Caucus.
The NDC Minority Caucus has vowed to continue showing solidarity with their Leader anytime he is due to appear in court and reserves the right to apply all other tools available to them in their approach to business on the floor of the legislature.
Background
Cassiel Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa have been accused of causing a financial loss of €2.37 million to the state in a transaction to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016.
They have pleaded not guilty to counts of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment to wilfully causing financial loss to the state, contravention of the Public Procurement Act, and intentionally misapplying public property.
Story written by Stephen Odoi-Larbi
