The Human Rights Court 1 yesterday adjourned to December 20, 2021, the case brought before it by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu, praying the court to stop the Ghana Police Service and the Inspector General of Police from any attempt to infringe on his rights.
The MP filed a case asking the court to enforce his human rights, an order for the enforcement of his right to free movement, protest, demonstration, and personal liberty among others under Article 14(1), 21(1), and 33 of the 1992 constitution.
He further asked for a stay of all criminal investigations and proceedings by the Ghana Police Service and the IGP against him.
This follows several attempts by the Ghana Police Service to arrest him for some excesses in a demonstration he led in his constituency against deplorable roads.
Parliament has largely been in support of the MP’s position insisting that the police side-stepped the laid down procedure used in arresting legislators without regard for their privileges and immunity.
A bench warrant issued for his arrest was later withdrawn by the Kaneshie District Court.
Meanwhile, the Chief State Attorney, Clarence Kuwornu, who represented the IGP in court, filed a preliminary injunction to the injunction filed by the MP.
The court it is recalled, withdrawn the bench warrant issued against him after MP made an appearance in court November 30 this year.
His lawyer Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu told the court that Sosu was attending to Parliamentary duty as the Constitutional and Legal Committee of Parliament resumes public sitting on the anti-Gay bill.
The court presided over by His Worship Oheneba Kuffour granted a request to issue a bench warrant for his arrest after the prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sylvester Asare said Sosu did not want to appear before the court.
At the last hearing on Tuesday, November 16, the Madina MP failed to show up in court as he was still out of the jurisdiction on parliamentary duties.
Magistrate of the Court, Oheneba Kuffour citing another letter from Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana kingsford Bagbin noted that the Madina MP has not returned from his duties.
Member is attending at the proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the first Session of the 8th Parliament, which commenced on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, and is also currently representing Parliament and the Country in a conference in the United States of America.”
Magistrate Kuffour was of the view that the letter created the impression Parliament was sitting in Ghana and abroad.
But reacting to the concern raised by the Magistrate, lead counsel of Francis Sosu, Victor Adawudu explained that it meant the MP was performing parliamentary duties.
“I’ve always insisted that Sosu is not a coward. If he has rights he will defend. We don’t see this as any matter that he will run away from,” Victor Adawudu intimated. He assured that the MP would show up in court once he returned.
The case was subsequently adjourned to 29th November 2021.
The Police had been seeking to arrest him for allegedly involving in violent protests in his constituency.
The National Democratic Congress MP had led some of his constituents to embark on a demonstration against deplorable roads in his constituency.
The demonstration started peacefully at Danfa around 6:00 am but later saw demonstrators burning tyres and mounting roadblocks on the Ayi Mensah-Danfa Road.
Sosu has, however, denied saying “That any allegation of the Police about my involvement in unlawful blockade of road and destruction of public property is false and an afterthought carefully manufactured by the police to shift attention of the people of Ghana from the key issues of bad roads raised by our protest and demonstration.
