Obstruction of an MP: Only the court can determine that or otherwise-Inusah Fuseini
“He should leave it that way, and then you encourage Members of Parliament to test the limit of contempt of Parliament in court,”
A former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Hon Inusah Fuseini has disagreed with a claim by the Speaker of Parliament relative to the arrest of an MP by the Police.
According to him, it is only the court that can determine whether the attempted arrest of the Madina MP was an obstruction or otherwise.
Speaking on Top Story on JoyFM, the former ranking member of Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Committee, insisted that the Speaker has no power to determine whether the Police has the power to arrest an MP.
“The best forum to determine whether the police were obstruction the Member of Parliament in the performance of his duties or whether the police was seeking to exercise their powers unlawfully is the law court and not the Speaker,” he noted.
Addressing the Speaker’s breakfast in the Ashanti Regional Capital, the Speaker of Parliament, Hon Alban S.K. Bagbin described the attempted arrest of the Madina MP by the Police at a procession in his Constituency as obstruction.
The Speaker however admitted that MPs are not above the law, and urged the Police Service to follow the constitutional provisions in effecting such arrests and prosecution of MPs.
Furthermore, Mr. Fuseini disagreed with a proposal by the Speaker to introduce legislation to heighten Parliament’s contempt powers.
“He should leave it that way, and then you encourage Members of Parliament to test the limit of contempt of Parliament in court,” he indicated.
