The Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong today appeared before the Privileges Committee of Parliament, to justify his absenteeism from the House for over stipulated fifteen sitting days during the First Meeting of the Second Session of the Eighth Parliament.
This follows the Rt. Hon. Speaker, Alban Bagbin’s directive to consider circumstances surrounding the absence of three Members of Parliament, pursuant to Article 97 (1) (c) of the 1992 Constitution.
He explained to the House that his absence was due to ill health.
Meanwhile, the Privileges Committee has summoned the Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, to appear before it on July 6, 2022, over her disappearance from the House.
Chairman of the committee, Joseph Osei Owusu directed that the summons be published publicly as the Member of Parliament has been unreachable.
“The Chairman of the Privileges Committee has directed that summons to the Hon. Member for Dome Kwabenya to appear before the Privileges Committee of Parliament on 6th July 2022 at 12 noon at Parliament House, New Administration Block, Committee Room 1, 2 & 3 pursuant to Article 103 (6) of the Constitution and Order 205 of the Standing Orders of Parliament be published in all relevant media. This comes after all attempts to reach the Honourable Member by the Committee failed,” a statement from the Parliamentary Service said.
The Privileges Committee has been tasked by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to engage Adwoa Safo, Kennedy Agyapong and Henry Quartey over complaints of chronic absenteeism brought against them.
The three are expected to give justifiable reasons for their absent from parliament, failure of which actions will be taken to remove them from Parliament.
The Committee said it “has employed all available means, both official and unofficial, to serve the Member with an invitation letter, including sending the invitation letter to her office and pigeonhole in Parliament,” but it is yet to get any response from her.
Meanwhile, Adwoa Safo in a recent media interview said she was in the US and had not been served any invitation from the committee.
By Vincent Kubi