The decision by the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Aaron Ocquaye, to set up a committee to investigate the $100,000 allegedly charged expatriate businessmen who sat close to the president at a presidential dinner, is a landmark ruling that should guide future speakers of parliament, Parliamentary News Africa (PNAfrica), has said.

According to the group, the speaker was excellent in the way he handled the situation leading up to the establishment of the committee.

The speaker after the emergency sitting characterised by a heated arguments from both the Minority and the Majority, on Friday January 5 set up a five-member ad hoc committee to investigate the $100,000 allegedly charged the businessmen by the Trade Ministry.

The committee is chaired by Member of Parliament for Sunyani East, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh. The other members are Dr Mark Assibey-Yeboah, an Economist and Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, MP for Adentan, Member of Parliament for Ketu North, James Klutse Avedzi and Dominic Ayine, MP for Bolgatanga East.

The committee is expected to submit its report to the Speaker on 24 January 2018.



A statement signed by Sammy Obeng, Executive Director for PNAfrica, reacting to the development said: (We) congratulate the Rt Hon Speaker of Parliament Prof Aaron Michael Ocquaye , for the intelligent manner with which he handled the processes leading to the emergency recall of parliament on Friday January 5 2018 and his landmark ruling during the sitting.

“As a parliamentary monitoring civil society organization, we believe that his ruling on the competence of the motion filed; his interpretation of Article 112 (3) of the Constitution and Order 38 of the Standing Orders of Parliament; and his remarks on the need to have those provisions used with considerable circumspection, considering all the implications of the matter will remain an important reference for successive Speakers Parliaments and MPs when similar instances arise in the future.