The Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, has called for a clearer interpretation of articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution by the Supreme Court, to bring finality to the recent debate on circumstances under which Members of Parliament (MPs) can be arrested or not.
He explained that MPs were not above the law but there should be clearer interpretation of the articles as to whether and how they could be arrested or not.
“Demonstrations are an integral part of a country’s democratic dispensation, and if an MP is involved in one, the MP is in essence, conducting parliamentary business, for which reason that MP cannot be arrested,” Alhaji Muntaka asserted.
His assertion was based on recent arrests by the police, particularly alleged reports on an attempted arrest of Francis-Xavier Sosu, the MP for MadinaConstituency in the Greater Accra Region, in church, on Sunday afternoon, who was embarking on a visitation of some churches in his constituency, was allegedly ambushed and surrounded by policemen waiting to arrest him.
The intended arrest was due to MrSosu’s failure to report to the police, following an invitation concerning a demonstration he led in his constituency on October 25, 2021.
According to Alhaji Muntaka, who is the MP for Asawase Constituency in the Ashanti Region, the earlier invitation by the police and the attempted arrest on Sunday, were all wrong moves, which should not have been contemplated in the first place and cautioned the citizenry to be careful in showering praises on the Inspector General of Police, Dr George AkuffoDampare.
He averred that even though the newly appointed IGP appears to be delivering on his mandate, there was the need for citizens to be circumspect in praising him and there was a possibility of the widespread public commendations inadvertently resulting in the IGP becoming a monster.
“Dr Dampare is a good person, let us be careful we do not create a monster out of him, let us be careful because he has to make sure he is also working within the confines of the law’, the MP said.–myjoyonline.com
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