Francis-Xavier Sosu, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, has petitioned the Speaker of Parliament to invite the Accra Operations Commander of Police and the Divisional Police Commander of the Adentan-Madina over their attempt to obstruct him from undertaking a ‘parliamentary duty’.
According to him, he was nearly arrested by the police on October 25, 2021, when he led some constituents to demonstrate over poor condition of roads in communities which led to chaotic scenes when the protestors stood up against the police to shield him from being dragged into waiting police vehicle.
Mr Sosu said the police had no legitimacy to arrest him as he and the demonstrators breached no law but the police team deployed for the protest had invited him for questioning which he rejected.
He recounted he told the police officer a meeting of leadership of Parliamentary, Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee was scheduled for Monday and he had to rush to Parliament after the protest which was not well received by the officer who insisted on taking him to the Regional Police Commander.
The misunderstanding led to a scuffle between him and the police officers which caught the eye of the demonstrating youth who resisted police attempt to arrest him,anact in contravention with the Standing Orders of Parliament and privileges due him as an MP who was undertaking parliamentary activity were denied.
“Their actions amount to contempt of Parliament, when the House resumes October 26, 2021, I will initiate processes to haul the officers involved before Privileges Committee of Parliament because the police did not have any basis when they received letter of protest and demonstration.
“Protest can be done in all kinds of ways, usually when there is a protest the police use crowd control measures to ward them off but when they resist, then you arrest and I was with the police and at any point we tried to calm them.
“In a democracy, the laws must be enforced, article 117 of the 1992 Constitution makes it clear no civil or criminal proceedings will be executed against a sitting MP, particularly when he is on parliamentary duty and I was on parliamentary duty with my constituents,” Mr Sosu intimated. –ghanaweb.com
