MP fails to show up in court
Court adjourns Savelugu MP case to February, 22 2022
Secretary of the New Patriotic Party in the North-East Region, Sulley Sambian has raised concerns about the failure of Member of Parliament for Savelugu, Abdulai Jacob Idriss to make appearance at his court hearing today.
Savelugu MP is facing charges for unlawful possession of a firearm.
On January 25, 2022, the MP failed to show up for his trial with the excuse that he is attending to parliamentary business.
Reacting to this development, Sulley Sambian said the conduct of the MP is irresponsible as the matter is a criminal issue and not a minor traffic offence.
In a Facebook post he said “It is quite irresponsible for the MP to fail to attend court with the lame excuse that he’s attending to parliamentary business. For Christ sake this a trial on indictment. That is quite a serious matter”. Not some minor traffic offence”.
The case has been adjourned to February 22, 2022.
Background On December 9,2020 the police found an AK-47 in the MP’s office, two days after the general elections.
At the time, the Northern Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress said the party office was an open space and the weapon may not have been in the possession of the MP.
During the said period, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Northern Region refuted the claims indicating that the Member of Parliament does not have an office and therefore operates from the party’s office.
They alleged that the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) was behind attempts to smear the then MP-elect in order for a by-election to be held in Savelugu.
The MP has since been charged with unlawful possession of AK-47.
Meanwhile, possession of ammunition without lawful excuse is contrary to section 192 (1) of Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Below is his post
Today, the 25th day of January 2022, the Savelegu case (crime edition ????) came on for case management at the High Court Tamale.
The member of Parliament for Savelegu, Hon. Abdulai Jacob Iddriss who is the second accused person in the case for which he’s standing trial on indictment for possession of fire arms without lawful authority failed to show up in court.
When the case was called, a representative of the MP told the court that the MP was “attending to Parliamentary Business,” an excuse that prompted the chief state attorney to apply for a bench warrant for the arrest of the MP.
Even though the court did not take kindly to the conduct of the MP, it nonetheless did not issue bench warrant for his arrest
I think the judge was right in his re-statement of the law in relation to the equality of citizens before the law. I find the conduct of the MP most irresponsible. He may have escaped today but I am sure next time, he will not be that lucky.
It is quite irresponsible for the MP to fail to attend court on the lame excuse that he’s attending to parliamentary business. For Christ sake this a trial on indictment. That is quite a serious matter”. Not some minor traffic offence
The case has since been adjourned to Tuesday the 22nd February 2022 for case management
Sulley Sambian, NPP North East General Secretary