NewzFormer Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has urged the leadership of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to have a clear understanding of the constitutional provisions governing Parliament and the privileges of Members of Parliament. His comments follow a tense incident at the Accra High Court on Wednesday, September 23, involving lawyers for detained Techiman-based nurse Salomey Baffoe Awiti, security personnel believed to be from EOCO, and a Member of Parliament. The incident has sparked concerns about the manner in which law-enforcement agencies engage with MPs, particularly when legislators are carrying out their parliamentary responsibilities.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, September 24, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the incident was “the most unfortunate,” particularly because it occurred within the precincts of the court. He questioned why EOCO proceeded with an action against the MP after the law firm concerned had already engaged the investigative body and submitted a statement. According to him, the firm had responded to EOCO’s invitation through a designated senior officer, who engaged the agency on three separate occasions.
He said the engagements eventually culminated in the submission of a statement, but EOCO had not, to his knowledge, indicated that it was dissatisfied with the response or requested further engagement with the firm’s representatives. “They have not expressed any apprehension, and they have not expressed any will to further invite the firm or their representatives in particular. So why this resort?” Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu described the subsequent action as unnecessary and cautioned against allowing similar incidents to occur.
“It is unnecessary and should not be allowed to have any further proliferation. It’s dangerous to our democracy.” According to him, these provisions are intended to ensure that Members of Parliament can perform their constitutional duties without undue obstruction. He argued that where an MP attends court in connection with a matter of parliamentary interest, including for the purpose of observing proceedings or subsequently bringing the matter before Parliament, the legislator should be allowed to perform that responsibility.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu therefore questioned the circumstances surrounding the alleged attempt to prevent the MP from entering the court. Former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has called for due process in dealing with Members of Parliament, stressing that parliamentary privileges should not be interpreted as placing legislators above the law. The incident, which involved Member of Parliament Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, occurred within the precincts of the court and has since sparked concerns over the conduct of law-enforcement officials and respect for parliamentary privileges.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said while MPs are entitled to constitutional privileges in the discharge of their duties, those protections do not exempt them from accountability. “I am not saying that a Member of Parliament is beyond reproach. Let’s use legal means to achieve legal ends.” He explained that, in the matter under discussion, the original invitation from EOCO was directed to the law firm with which the MP was associated and not specifically to him in his capacity as a Member of Parliament.
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