The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, appears desperately in search of Parliamentary seats in the courtrooms across the country to make up the numbers required to pass bills into law especially the controversial E-levy.
In two of the instances, the ruling party has dragged two members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MP) to court on the grounds of lying about their nationality, while filing to contest the 2020 Parliamentary elections.
The third instance involves the ruling party’s trouble with its MP for the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency, Sarah Adwoa Safo, where all attempts to get in touch with her to come to Parliament has proved futile.
The Sekondi Takoradi High Court, is hearing the case of Dorcas Affo-Toffey, the MP for the Jomoro Constituency, with a petitioner, saying she has two dates of birth, an Accra High Court has just granted the MP for Assin North, James Gyakye Quayson, a GH₵100,000 bail in a case of forgery and perjury brought against the NDC legislator.
In the case of James Gyakye Quayson, aspects of the matter are in the Court of Appeal, as well as the Supreme Court. Some of the cases, are being prosecuted by the Deputy Attorney General (AG), Alfred Tuah-Yeboah,
At the High Court yesterday, the presiding judge, Justice Mary Maame Ekue Nsenkyire, admitted the Assin North MP to bail after the latter had pleaded not guilty to five counts of forgery of passport or travel certificate, knowingly making a false statutory declaration, perjury and false declaration for office, the report added.
Tsatsu Tsikata, the lawyer for the NDC lawmaker, had prayed the court to grant his client a self-recognisance bail, but this was refused.
This was because as it would be recalled, the bailiff of the court, had difficulties in reaching the MP, in order to serve him with the court processes.
On the part of the state, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, who doubles as Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, had argued for the court to withhold the self-recognisance bail being sought by James Gyakye Quayson’s team, stressing that it had taken the state a great deal to be able to get the MP to court.
The prosecution told the court that, the MP, had allegedly made a false statement to the Passport Office while applying for a Ghanaian passport that he did not hold any other passport of another country.
Additionally, the prosecution has accused James Gyakye Quayson of making a false declaration to the Electoral Commission (EC) while filing to contest the seat of the Assin North constituency that he did not owe any allegiance to another country, the report added.
Dorcas Affo-Toffey’s case, has one Joshua Emuah Kofie of Nuba-Mpataba in the Jomoro Constituency last year filing a suit challenging the Jomoro MP to produce evidence of her renounced dual citizenship.
Joshua Emuah Kofie of Nuba-Mpataba in the Jomoro Constituency last year filed a suit challenging the Jomoro MP to produce evidence of her renounced dual citizenship.
According to the petitioner, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, was not qualified to contest in the 2020 parliamentary elections as she bore dual citizenship at the time.
In the petitioner’s case, the MP, holds a Ghanaian passport with number G2192584, issued in Accra on October 9, 2018, with her date of birth stated as May 4, 1972.
Joshua Emuah Kofie, again states that the Jomoro MP, also holds an Ivorian passport with number 18AR54825 issued on July 27, 2018, with her date of birth and place of birth stated as May 4, 1971, and Adzope in the Ivory Coast, respectively.
The petitioner, said the MP, who is the first respondent, initially held an Ivorian passport with the number 16AK13363 issued on January 19, 2017, but she declared it as missing on July 26, 2018.
The first respondent subsequently applied and was issued with a new passport with number 18AR154825, on which she changed her profession from student to entrepreneur.
This was stated in a response by the petitioner to the MPs amended answer filed at the High Court pursuant to leave of the court dated January 25, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, having initially filed a response to the request to produce evidence of her citizenship renunciation to the court, applied to amend her answer at the court’s last sitting. As granted by the court, she accordingly filed her amended answer stating that at the time of filing her nomination forms to contest the parliamentary election, she was only Ghanaian.
She explained that by Article 48 of the nationality code and law of the identification of persons of the Ivory Coast, once a person holding an Ivorian nationality expresses an interest in not being an Ivorian national again, in order to become a national of another country, the person forfeits their Ivorian nationality.
She stated that in 2019, before filing her nomination forms to contest the December 2020 parliamentary elections, she had officially written to the Ivorian authorities informing them that she forthwith ceased to be an Ivorian national.
“Therefore, by the operation of Article 48 of the nationality code of Ivory Coast, I ceased to be an Ivorian national in compliance with Article 94 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution to contest the Jomoro seat,” she noted.
However, the petitioner, in response to the respondent’s answer, maintained that she never renounced her Ivorian nationality in 2019.
According to the petitioner, the claim by the first respondent was disingenuous and an afterthought. He contended that even if the first respondent submitted any such letter as alleged, the mere submission of any such letter did not strip the MP of her Ivorian nationality.
“At the time the MP filed her nomination forms, she was a full-fledged Ivorian national and thus owed allegiance to that country,” he stated. “She was therefore not qualified to contest the 2020 parliamentary elections,” the petitioner stressed. The court is yet to fix a new date for the hearing of the case.
The long absence of Sarah Adwoa Safo from parliament has elicited wild reactions from the quarters of NPP who have been put in a tight situation requiring the presence of their MPs in the hung parliament to push government business.
In the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency, the leadership of the NPP, has revealed that all attempts to get in touch with their member of parliament has proved futile.
The long absence of Sarah Adwoa Safo from parliament has elicited wild reactions from the quarters of NPP who have been put in a tight situation requiring the presence of their MPs in the hung parliament to push government business.
In a Citi News interview, the NPP Constituency Chairman for the Dome Kwabenya, Robert Osei Bonsu said the absence of their MP has been referred to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) for necessary action. According to him, the NEC of NPP will meet to decide on the MP who after taking leave of her post as Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection since last year is yet to report back to duty.
“Unfortunately, we have not heard from our Member of Parliament for some time now. All efforts to get to her have proven futile. The National Executive Committee will definitely decide on the next line of action.”
“Her actions are not the best. It is not in the interest of the party or Ghanaians,” the Chairman said. The absence of Sarah Adwoa Safo from Parliament has received various reactions from NPP members including some who have accused her of sabotaging government business.
Deputy Trade and Industry Minister, Michael Kofi Okyere Baafi, last week accused Sarah Adwoa Safo, of sabotaging government business.
The New Juabeng South MP,said the former Deputy Majority Leader’s continuous absence in Parliament is making government business in the chamber difficult.
But an aide to Sarah Adwoa Safo, has denied the allegations made against her boss. The MP’s aide, according to reports, is said to have assured of her boss’s presence in parliament when she arrives from the United States where she has been.
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