Bagbin Defies PPA Directive

Alban Bagbin

 

It has emerged that Thaddeus Sory, the lawyer who represented Speaker Alban S.K. Bagbin in the recent Supreme Court case involving the vacant seats controversy, was rejected by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).

The PPA, on December 12, 2022, turned down a request by the Parliamentary Service to engage Thaddeus Sory, personal lawyer of the Speaker, as an external solicitor for legal support, through a single source procurement method.

In a letter addressed to the Clerk of Parliament, Cyril Kwabena Oteng Nsiah, Chief Executive Officer of the PPA, Frank Mante said the decision was arrived at by the PPA board following its 31st meeting held on December 8, 2022.

The letter said the request involved retaining the services of the legal firm Messrs. Sory @ Law with a proposed retainer fee of GH¢5,000 and a potential cap of GH¢300,000 for specific constitutional cases in the Supreme Court.

The board, however, cited the position of the Attorney General (AG) as the Principal Legal Advisor to the government, stating that the Parliamentary Service should rely on the AG’s office for all legal matters.

This decision, the PPA letter explained, aligns with a long-standing practice aimed at centralising legal representation and advice within government institutions under the Attorney General’s purview.

It said the decision to decline the request was expected to maintain current procedures in which Parliament engages the Attorney General in legal matters, a move intended to uphold consistency in legal representation for the service.

But contrary to the directive, the Speaker went ahead to hire Thaddeus Sory to represent him in the ongoing Supreme Court case.

This development has sparked controversy, with legal luminaries accusing Speaker Bagbin of violating procurement laws by hiring Thaddeus Sory’s firm without the necessary approvals.

They have argued that the Speaker’s actions are unlawful, and constitutional cases should not involve personal interests, adding that the Speaker’s role does not entitle him to legal representation on a personal basis.

By Daniel Bampoe