Parliament is in session; I won’t face your ill-motivated vendetta trials – Ayariga tells SP

Member for Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central Constituency, Mahama Ayariga, has described the suit by the Special Prosecutor (SP) as ill-motivated and is, therefore, hiding under article 122 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana to appear before the court in a suit brought against him by the Special Prosecutor.

According to him, any conduct on the part of the Special Prosecutor that in any way impedes or obstructs his right to be in Parliament on June 4 to represent the people of Bawku will amount to Contempt of Parliament.

In a letter cited by GhanaWeb, the MP indicated that not even the Speaker of Parliament has the power to release him as a sitting MP to the Special Prosecutor to arraign him before the court during a period when Parliament is in session and sitting.

“The framers of our Constitution were intelligent enough to know that if that were so some Speakers could collude to prevent opposition MPs from attending Parliament and opposing Government policy and voting on matters of critical national importance under the guise of releasing them to stand all sorts of ill-motivated vendetta informed trials on days when Parliament is in session and sitting” his statement reads.

Mr Ayariga added, “a speaker has the power to conclusively certify that a Member of Parliament is attending the proceeding of Parliament under circumstances where that Member is requested to be a witness in court or any place outside Parliament.”

He, however, advised the Special Prosecutor to seek an interpretation at the Supreme Court if article 122 is not very clear to him.

Find the entire letter of Mahama Ayariga to the Special Prosecutor below