Special Prosecutors bill ripe for parliament today – Majority Leader

Majority leader and minister for parliamentary affairs, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu says the special prosecutors bill is from today ready to be properly introduced to parliament.

Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu withdrew the Bill together with the Zongo Development Fund Bill without explaining the motive behind his action after the Minority argued that the Bill did not fulfill the mandatory 14-day constitutional process for its introduction in Parliament.

The Minority argued that the constitution allows a bill to be introduced to parliament only after the 14th day of its publication in an official government journal so Friday the 28th of July would be the 15th day and the bill could be laid in parliament.

But the majority speaker expalined that article 106(13) of the constitution gives an exemption for bills to be laid in parliament without recourse to the 14-day constitutional process if the legal and constitutional affairs committee of parliament decides that it if of urgent nature.

”We have withdrawn the application we sent to the committee to determine if the bill was of urgent nature.. that is what i did yesterday because we realized that we could follow the 14-day constitutional process, as friday was going to be exactly 15 days after the bill was gazzetted and can be properly laid in prliament”.

According to him, the Attorney general gazzetted the bill on the 14th of July before presenting it to parliament and could now be properly introduced in parliament, today, exactly 15 days after the bill was gazetted.

The Special Prosecutor Bill is to enable the government to create a special prosecutor’s office that will deal with various corruption issues in government.

The bill is one of the major proposals made by President Akufo-Addo as part of his plans to deal with corruption in government.

Source: otecfmghana.com