Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, has waded into the legal argument concerning the arrest of Members of Parliament (MPs) and whether the Police need permission from the Speaker to do so.
According to him, Parliamentarians are not above the law just like ordinary citizens and the law must be made to take its course when necessary.
“You cannot arrest an MP to or from Parliament and in such cases, the police may need to go through the Speaker.
“But while the substantive law is absolute, the procedurals are not but based on all things being equal,” he said.
His comments come on the back of a Contempt of Parliament filed by the Madina MP, Francis Xavier-Sosu, following his attempted arrest during a protest last Monday.
Speaking in an interview, the lawmaker stated that his arrest was unlawful, and the Police acted lawlessly, adding he was on parliamentary duties.
He explained that by leading the demonstrations that resulted in the blockage of the Ayi Mensah-Danfa road by protesters and the burning of tyres which prevented the free flow of traffic, he was performing his parliamentary duty.
The Speaker of Parliament has also refused to release the MP even after the Criminal Investigations Department
of the Ghana Police Service made a request to that effect in a formal letter.
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Reacting to the development in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, Mr Dery said MPs can be arrested, invited, or interrogated, however, there are certain circumstances that may require parliamentary administrative procedures.
“It will be ridiculous to say they [Police] must always go through the administrative process through the Speaker, exhibits will be tempered with, and it will interfere with a thorough investigation, depending on the situation,” he added.
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