Parliament is to reconstitute the Privileges Committee to hear the contempt case against the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Ken Agyapong after three members recused themselves from the committee.
At a sitting on Tuesday, July 3, 2018, Counsels for the Assin Central lawmaker, Alexander Afenyo-Markin and K. T. Hammond drew the Committee’s attention to a letter signed by three Members of the Committee who had willingly expressed their intent to disqualify themselves from the ongoing investigations involving Hon. Kennedy Agyapong over his alleged utterances against the legislature.
The three, Cynthia Morrison, MP for Agona West, Naana Eyiah, MP for Gomoa Central and Samuel Nsowa-Djan, MP for Upper Denkyira West, had argued based on Order 164(4) of the Standing Orders of Parliament that the “Respondent Contemnor is the Caucus Chairman for Central Region and all of us have a close relationship with. We are unable therefore to discharge our duties without bias”.
Order 164(4) of the Standing Orders of Parliament states that “A Member of the Committee may disqualify himself from participating in any investigations of the conduct of a Member, officer or employee of the House upon a declaration in writing that he cannot render an impartial and unbiased decision in the case which he seeks to disqualify himself. If the Committee approves and accepts such disqualification, the Chairman shall so notify the Speaker who shall request the Leader of the same political party as the disqualifying Member to designate a Member from his party to act as a Member of the Committee in any proceedings relating to such investigation”.
The Chairman of the Privileges Committee, Joseph Osei Owusu, after listening to the argument advanced by the Counsels for the Assin Central lawmaker, granted their request and adjourned sittings indefinitely.
Ken Agyapong is facing contempt charges for allegedly describing Parliament as ‘useless’.