The Supreme Court has directed Kwame Baffoe, alias Abronya DC, Bono East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to serve a writ on Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu and eight other former appointees of Ex-President John Mahama.
Last year, the outspoken NPP Chairman petitioned the Supreme Court, requesting that Article 98 of the 1992 Constitution be interpreted.
The provision prohibits Members of Parliament from holding any other profit-making office or earning other emoluments, whether private or public, and whether directly or indirectly, unless with the Speaker’s permission and on the condition that conflicts of interest are not raised and the MP’s core responsibilities are not jeopardized.
As a result, and in accordance with Article 78(3) of the Constitution, Abronya DC requested that the Supreme Court order or compel former Ministers/Deputy Ministers in the Mills-Mahama administrations who were also elected Members of Parliament between 2009 and 2016 to repay to the Republic all double salaries received during that time.
In the spirit of Article 98, Article 78(3) forbids Ministers of State from holding any other profit or emolument-producing office.
Minority Leader and former Trade and Industry Minister Haruna Iddrisu, Alhassan Azong, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, Eric Opoku, Abdul Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, Mark Owen Woyongo, Comfort Doyoe Ghansah, and Aquinas Tawiah Quansah are the 12 defendant.
The remaining members are the Controller and Accountant General, as well as the Attorney-General.
On Thursday, Abronya DC’s lawyer, Seth Gyapong Oware, informed the single-judge Supreme Court that serving the writ invoking the Court’s original jurisdiction and the applicant’s Statement of Claims on 9 of the 12 defendants in the case had proven practically impossible. As a result, he asked the Court to enable them to serve the processes by substituted service.
While authorizing the application, Clemence Honyenuga stated that “good and substantial reasons have been urged for the grant of the application.”
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SOURCE: myjoyonline
