Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu explains why Ofori-Atta must be given a fair hearing in Parliament

Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has given reasons why Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta deserves to be heard before Parliament debates and votes on a vote of censure tabled against him.

Speaking in a Neat FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb on Wednesday (November 3), Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said that proceeding with the vote of censure without hearing from Ofori-Atta’s legal representative is an affront to the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

He added that every person being trialled for an alleged crime deserves to be heard through his legal representation.

“…if you are summoned by Parliament and come with your lawyer, the lawyer will not be allowed into the floor of the House but will have to sit at the public gallery (which is for visitors), and he cannot intervene when needed because of our laws. That is why I have been saying that this thing will not work.

“If you look at Article 82 of the Constitution that they (the minority) are quoting, it says that if the person (standing trial) comes before the House, he must be heard – he must be heard either by himself or through his lawyer. If that lawyer is not allowed to speak, you just pass judgement on the person without giving him a chance to defend himself.

“Article 69 clause 7 says that if the president is being impeached, he deserves to be heard, either by himself or through his lawyer. That is what Article 69 clause 7 says. And so, if you come to the minister too, he must have the right to be heard either by himself or through his lawyer.

“But if you say that you are going to try the minister and you say you will not permit his lawyer to defend him, it means you will just pass judgement on the minister, and after that, you ask MPs to vote. That is not the best practice. Article 12 of the constitution says that individual rights must be respected by the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary,” he said in Twi.

The minority caucus of Parliament filed a motion to have Ken Ofori-Atta and the Minister of State (in charge of Finance), Charles Adu-Boahen, sacked.

The MPs explained that their position follows several concerns over the mismanagement of the economy, which has forced the government to seek IMF assistance.

The Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, noted, “as representatives of the people and as duty bearers, we must move a motion to call for the end of the finance minister.

“Our brothers in the majority believe in this. What they should do is support the call of the Minority Leader and the motion of the Minority Leader for the dismissal of the finance minister.”

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has admitted the motion set to be debated and voted on by the House through a secret vote on November 10, 2022.

Watch the interview below:

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