Kennedy Ohene Agyapong
Members of the Privileges Committee of Parliament last Thursday met to deliberate on the modalities and procedures to consider the referral of an alleged breach of privilege and contempt of Parliament by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.
Chairman of the Committee, Joseph Osei-Wusu reportedly announced at the meeting that the MP had travelled outside the country and could not be communicated to for him to appear before members.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that Mr. Agyapong could not be served to appear before the committee, which nonetheless, sat to deliberate on the rules of engagement.
On July 14, 2021, Speaker Alban Bagbin referred the Assin Central MP to the Committee of Privileges for alleged breach of parliamentary privilege and contempt of the House.
In an invitation addressed to the complainant, Suhuyini Alhassan Sayibu, who is the MP for Tamale North, Principal Assistant Clerk to the Committee, Akua Durowaa Owusu-Agyekum, said the Committee of Privileges was scheduled to meet at 5pm in Committee Room 1 & 2 of Parliament’s Administration Block last Thursday.
“As you may recall, on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, you drew the attention of the House to an alleged breach of parliamentary privilege and contemptuous conduct by the Hon Member for Assin Central Constituency, Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.
“The Rt. Hon. Speaker, having regard to the issue raised in the complaint, referred the conduct of the Hon. Member to the Committee of Privileges for consideration and report pursuant to Order 31 of the Standing Orders of Parliament,” the letter read in part.
The Principal Assistant Clerk indicated that she had been directed by the Chairman of the Committee, Joseph Osei-Wusu, who is also the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, to kindly request the complainant to furnish the Committee with evidence of the alleged misconduct prior to the meeting.
“You are also invited to attend upon the Committee to assist in its deliberations. The Committee counts very much on your kind cooperation in this regard,” the leaked invitation letter said.
The NPP MP was said to have made statements which Multimedia Group has said it amounted to threats on the life of one of its reporters with Luv FM in Kumasi, Erastus Asare Donkor, which the Tamale North MP said the alleged action of his colleague from the opposite side of the aisle amounted to a breach of the parliamentary privileges.
Following Alhassan Suhuyini’s report, the Speaker, Mr. Bagbin, then exercised his discretion under Order 27 of the Standing Orders of the House and referred Ken Agyapong to the Committee of Privileges which is chaired by the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Wusu.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House