Supreme Court treating Bagbin with kid gloves — Prof Adei
A former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof. Stephen Adei, has voiced his disapproval of Speaker Alban Bagbin’s remarks accusing the Judiciary and Executive of colluding to undermine Parliament’s authority.
According to him, Speaker Bagbin should have defended his case in court rather than holding a press conference
Speaker Bagbin raised serious concerns over what he described as interference and a growing power struggle between the arms of government, accusing the Judiciary and Executive of encroaching on legislative independence.
He warned that this interference could destabilize Ghana’s democracy.
But, Professor Adei disagrees with the Speaker’s claim.
“I will not mince any words, I think that the speaker shouldn’t have made that statement at all. This is not an issue of collision, he refused to go and defend himself when there is a case. Any Ghanaian who has a case in any court, let alone the Supreme Court and says that he will not defend his case has no right to go and make press conferences.
“In fact, the Supreme Court is just playing kids gloves with him because if it were me and you, we could be in jail for contempt of court,” Prof. Adei said in an interview on JoyNews.
Prof. Adei further urged the Speaker to reconvene Parliament and uphold the current status quo in compliance with a recent Supreme Court ruling.
He noted that although Parliament is adjourned, the most straightforward solution would be “to recall Parliament, maintain the status quo for the remaining weeks, and allow the legislative body to fulfil its duties until the session’s end on January 7.”
His remark comes after the apex court ruled that the Speaker’s declaration of four parliamentary seats vacant was unconstitutional.
The defendant, Mr. Bagbin, and his lawyer, Thaddeus Sory, failed to appear in court.
Again, Mr Bagbin’s counsel had not filed their legal processes as ordered by the court from the previous sitting.