Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has raised concerns about Members of Parliament seeking redress from the Supreme Court over issues he believes could be resolved within Parliament itself.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, he noted that the practice undermines the authority and respect of Parliament.

He argued that this over-reliance on the courts reflects a lack of confidence in Parliament’s own processes and detracts from its independence.

“Parliamentarians who are to be loyal to Parliament rather than to the Supreme Court run to the Supreme Court at the slightest opportunity to use the Supreme Court to undermine Parliament.

“This might be one of the reasons Parliament and members of Parliament are not respected and are treated with disdain.

"Parliament weakens itself when its members keep running to our courts to settle or seek favourable determinations of not just legal matters, but essentially political and governance questions. It is my strong belief the matter before the Supreme Court can be settled within Parliament through mature deliberations and compromises", he noted.

Bagbin recently declared four parliamentary seats vacant, because the affected
MPs had crossed carpet by deciding to contest as independent candidates or on different party tickets.

This decision, however, has been challenged in the Supreme Court and is awaiting a verdict.

JKB

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