An apology and a show of remorse by the embattled Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Mr Ken Agyapong, saved him from being expelled from Parliament after the Privileges Committee found him guilty of contempt of Parliament.
Class91.3FM’s parliamentary correspondent Ekow Annan, reported on Wednesday, 13 February 2019 that by a split decision of 10-10, some of the Committee members rooted for suspension of the MP for the rest of the year, with others also taking cognisance of the remorse and voted for just a reprimand of Mr Agyapong.
“The Committee noted the apology rendered by the Member and therefore did not consider expulsion as a sanction to be imposed,” the Committee, Chaired by First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei-Owusu, stated in its report, a copy of which is available to Class91.3FM.
The report added that: “In the light of the totality of the evidence gathered, and, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, the Standing Orders and other relevant enactments, concluded that the Hon. Member for Assin Central Constituency, Mr Ken Ohene Agyapong is, indeed, in contempt of Parliament for the remarks he made that ‘Parliament is cheap’ and ‘Parliament is useless’”.
The Committee further recommended that the House sanctions “Hon. Ken Ohene Agyapong by suspending him for the rest of this Session or reprimand him”.
Mr Agyapong’s alleged insult was reported to the house by Minority Chief Whip Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, and the Speaker subsequently referred the matter to the Privileges Committee.
Alhaji Muntaka said Mr Agyapong had stated in audio and videotapes he provided to the Committee that: “If this House were not useless, they would not have the likes of Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu as its leader.”
