Adwoa Safo
The Privileges Committee of Parliament has failed to deliver a consensus on the fate of Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo.
Members of the Committee have delivered a split decision in its recommendations on whether absenting herself for more than the mandatory 15 days without permission warrants her seat being declared vacant.
Sources close to Parliament indicates, the Majority is asking for the seat to be declared vacant without delay in line with stated constitutional provisions while the Minority is against such declaration.
This comes after Adwoa Safo who is the Minister of Gender and Social Protection snubbed the committee when he had the opportunity to defend herself on her absence without leave.
Whilst the Majority MPs on the committee cited Article 97 (1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution and the Court of Appeal decision in the case of Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare v the Attorney General & 3 Ors, to demand the declaration, the Minority MPs on the committee, however, argued that according to the principle of natural justice, the seat should not be declared vacant because Adwoa Safo did not provide her side of the issue to the committee.
Meanwhile, the committee however determined that the excuse from her two other colleagues, Kennedy Agyapong and Henry Quartey for absenting themselves were reasonable.
The Report was laid in Parliament on Monday and will be debated before Parliament goes on recess on Thursday.
By Vincent Kubi