Minority Caucus staged walkout during deliberations
NDC MPs challenge approval at Supreme Court
General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia has accused the clerk of Parliament of tampering with attendance records in the lawmaking chamber.
According to the NDC scribe, the action of Cyril Kwabena Nsiah, is allied to the court action being mounted by three Minority Members of Parliament against the March 29, 2022, approval of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) Bill by a one-sided Parliament.
Asiedu Nketia cited Parliamentary records that suggested that on the day of the said approval, there were eight NDC MPs absent from the House.
He holds that all eight MPs have confirmed their attendance to the House to him personally but the official records of the House suggest that they were absent.
“How come these people [the eight MP’s] will all of a sudden be marked absent when they actually were there and everybody saw them? They signed the attendance sheet and I have spoken to them.
“They signed the attendance sheet so it tells you that somebody somewhere is tampering with evidence,” he said in an interview with Accra-based JoyNews.
He alleged further that the clerk’s action pointed to collusion with the Majority Group to push through the Bill that had received stiff resistance from the NDC MPs since late last year.
“It gives me the impression that the Majority side knew they have done something wrong and the approval of E-levy was not actually backed by the rules, and they know the Minority have resorted to court action and so they now come round to fake the evidence that will be called for during the hearing.
“That is what gives me the suspicion that this thing is a deliberate orchestration to take decisions on behalf of Ghanaians when their representatives have actually not taken those decisions legitimately,” he added tasking the Minority leadership to challenge the problematic record.
The E-Levy was passed on Tuesday after it was tabled under a certificate of urgency. The Minority side after debating the second reading staged a walkout with the reason that they did not want to have anything to do with the Bill.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta proposed a number of amendments to the Bill, with the most significant one being the lowering of the E-Levy rate from 1.75% to 1.5%.
Subsequent legislative motions were followed leading to its eventual passage by the Majority Group-Only House. The Majority Leader has hinted that final work on the Bill will be done as soon as possible to allow onward transmission for presidential assent.
The Finance Minister has, meanwhile, stated that all things being equal; implementation of the levy will start in early May 2022.
Records showing absentee MPs on March 29 - according to MyNewsGh.com report:
Abdul-Latif Dan (Ablekuma Central)
Abdul-Salam Adams (New Edubiase)
Amankwa Nicholas (Amenfi East)
Avoka Cletus Apul (Zebilla)
Boateng Joseph Appiah (Afram Plains South)
Ofosu-Adjare Elizabeth (Techiman North)
Quayson James Gyakye (Assin North)
Sukparu, Adam Mohammed (Sissala West)
Safo Sarah Adwoa (NPP, Dome/Kwabenya)
