Francis-Xavier Sosu, Madina MP
Minority Members of Parliament are unhappy about the court warrant of Monday, November 29, 2021, issued for the arrest of Madina MP, Francis-Xavier Sosu.
Ahmed Ibrahim, the Minority Chief Whip in an interview with Joy News stated that they found it worrying that the Police will press ahead with the case at a time when avenues of engagements have been activated between the Ghana Police Service and Parliament.
At the time the Kaneshie District Court issued the warrant, Sosu, a Deputy Ranking Member on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament was attending to official duties on the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill public hearing.
“Actually it is very unfortunate and I think this shouldn’t have come at this time. This is the time both parties are calling for engagement. Is that how you engage? These are Machiavellian tactics.
“Where we are now, Ghanaians are serious and they are waiting for us as their people to be able to put an end to some of those issues that are happening so if you say you are going to engage me and you start attacking me, will I stand there?” he quizzed.
Challenged to the effect that this was an order from the court, Ahmed Ibrahim responded: “Who took him before a court and what was the side of the Speaker? “Didn’t the Speaker and the IGP have engagements?”
According to him, the IGP had asked to defer the planned meeting with the Speaker of Parliament adding that if the Police were sincere, the issue will not get to this stage.
“He came to work … I think our lawyers will work on that once the summons gets to him but I don’t think it has gotten to him, because that will have to come through the Speaker,” he added.
He stressed that the police cannot arrest him … “mind you, this is a crucial time that Sosu is working on the budget that is going to give birth to the salaries of even the police and the court itself, we are in a crucial time,” he added.
The Ghana Police Service instituted criminal proceedings against the MP after he led his constituents to demonstrate against bad roads on October 25, 2021.
Mr. Sosu is accused and standing trial for unlawfully blocking roads and causing destruction to public property in a demonstration he led in his constituency against bad roads over a month ago.
He has since the commencement of the case not appeared in court with the Speaker of Parliament, writing to the sitting judge on two occasions to inform him that the MP is out of the country on official duty.
Following futile efforts by the police to effect his arrest and have him appear in court for a hearing, the Speaker of Parliament for the second time said the MP was unable to attend court as he is attending to parliamentary duties outside the country.
“I have been directed by the Rt. Hon. Speaker to bring to the attention of the Hon. Court that the Hon. Member is attending at the proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the First Session of the 8th Parliament, which commenced on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, and is also currently representing Parliament and the Country in a conference in the United States of America,” the Speaker told the court in a letter.