Ato Forson Ambulance Trial: Minority MPs to Boycott Sittings on Trial Days
The Minority in Parliament has announced plans to stay away from Parliamentary duties on trial days of their leader, Cassiel Ato Forson.
The group in a statement on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, made their intentions known to the public over the trial judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe’s refusal to grant Ato Forson, an accused in the trial, leave of the court to enable him to attend to parliamentary business.
The move by the caucus is aimed at spelling out their solidarity with their leader in Parliament and comes as the Parliament resumes the third meeting of the fourth session today.
“The NDC Minority Caucus will only be available for the business of Parliament after proceedings of the court have ended on the days scheduled for the hearing of the ongoing ambulance case trial.”
It lamented, “Last week, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe again rejected a similar request from the Parliament of Ghana to enable the Minority Leader to take part in a meeting of the Parliamentary Service Board which was due to take critical decisions ahead of the resumption of Parliament, among others. The NDC Caucus was left with no representation at these important meetings.”
According to the statement released by the Minority Chief Whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza, the decision of the court would hinder their leader’s constitutional mandate as he would not be able to deliver a resumption address, join parliamentary leadership to engage the press and undertake other important activities.
The caucus deems this as an attempt by the trial court judge to hinder him from performing his constitutional duties as an elected Member of Parliament and the Leader of the Minority Caucus.
“In the light of the above, and the continuous persecution of the Minority Leader, the NDC Minority will continue to solidarise and stand by its Leader anytime he is due to appear in court. The NDC Minority Caucus further reserves the right to apply all other tools available to us in our approach to business on the floor.”
