Bole Member of Parliament, Yusif Suleimana, has said the Police are trying to intimidate opposition lawmakers by seeking to arrest his colleague MP for Madina Francis-Xavier Sosu
He told TV3’s Komla Kluste in an interview that “You would have seen that the Office of the Speaker has put out a press release and that is exactly what the position of this Parliament is, nothing more, nothing less.
“The Police cannot intimidate us. Is that how to arrest a sitting member of parliament like a criminal? [Sosu] can’t run out of this country.”
His other colleague MP for Wa West, Peter Lanchene Toobu, also criticised in the way and manner they are handling Sosu.
He described the action by the Police as an exercise in futility.
“I think that this whole show is some exercise in futility. The MP is not going to appear before court until he is released by the Speaker of Parliament. The Speaker is saying as we speak , we are very tight in Parliament and he cannot release the MP and there is a procedure to arrest an MP, there is a procedure to serve court proceedings on an MP and the Police know that.“
“As for charging him, the thing that he has contributed to causing damage to public property or he is cause damage to public property ,if they are trying to show power., Parliament has the authority but it is not about showing authority, it is about complementing each other’s effort and checking and balancing each other’s roles to ensure that Ghana develops.”
Meanwhile, Private legal practitioner, Mr Kofi Bentil has said the Police have the right under the laws of Ghana to arrest anyone they suspect to have gone contrary to the laws of Ghana.
He called on all Ghanaians, irrespective of their status in the society, to submit themselves to the laws and law enforcers in the country.
Speaking in an interview in relation to the attempt to arrest Sosu after his alleged involvement in a violent protest in his constituency, Mr Bentil who is also the Vice President of Imani Africa said “To the extent that the Police feel the need to invite any member of the this society to question them about the probable cause that a crime has been committed or something wrong has been done, that person ought to respond to the Police positively, and that person ought to submit to the Police processes. If the police do anything untoward we will all come and defend that person .
“It is just not right for any person to assume any kind of immunity that effectively poses them above the law .
In this particular matter we think that at this point the Police have a right to effect arrest and to effect an investigation. If they think that they have to proceed they will go ahead and proceed, if anybody has a problem we will all back that person to court to the court and vindicate themselves.”
The Police were seeking to arrest Sosu for allegedly involving in a violent protests in is constituency.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP had led some of his constituents to embark on a demonstration against deplorable roads in his constituency.
The demonstration started peacefully at Danfa around 6:00am but later saw demonstrators burning tyres and mounting roadblocks on the Ayi Mensah-Danfa Road.
Sosu has however denied saying “That any allegation of the Police about my involvement in unlawful blockade of road and destruction of public property is false and an afterthought carefully manufactured by the police to shift attention of the people of Ghana from the key issues of bad roads raised by our protest and demonstration.”
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin also denied a request by the Police to release Mr Sosu to them for arrest.
In a letter dated October 28, addressed to the Deputy Director-General of Criminal Investigation Division, F.K. Agyei, the Speaker indicated that due to limitations of Articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution, Mr Sosu could not be released.
“I am directed by the Rt. Hon. Speaker to inform you that proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the 1st Session of the 8th Parliament commenced on Tuesday 26th October, 2021 and having regard to the limitations of articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic, he is unable to release the Member of Parliament as requested in your letter,” Deputy Director of Legal Services, Nana Tawiah Okyir wrote on behalf of the Clerk of Parliament.
The Police have officially charged Madina Member of Parliament, Francis-Xavier Sosu for causing damage to public property.
The Director General, Public Affairs Directorate of the Police Service, ACP Kwasi Ofori, said on Wednesday November 3 that he is expected to appear in court on November 8,
“The Police has obtained a criminal summons and has been duly served for him to appear in court on November 8…as we enumerated the charges includes obstructing the highway, causing damage to public property,” he said.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana