How Jinapor’s visit to the loo disrupted parliament

Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu constituency, John Jinapor disrupted parliamentary proceedings as he left the chamber to visit the loo after making a submission on the floor of parliament for the house to reject a request of proposed tax waiver for Platinum Properties Limited for the Pullman Accra Airport City Hotel and Serviced Apartments.

“Mr. Speaker, there is something known as investment decision – in taking investment decision there is something called investment appraisal. In conducting an investment appraisal there are tools for determining whether that investment is profitable or not. If not for anything, there is a net present value, there is internal rate of return among other things.

"Mr. Speaker, all these have not been met here. There is no evidence to show that this project if undertaken, will be profitable. And so, if you want to inject the Ghanaian tax payer’s money – GHC134million into a private venture, you ought to do an investment appraisal, convince Parliament and let Parliament know that it is worth doing before you inject that sum of money. This has not been done and this is not captured in the report. This was not proven at the Committee’s report”, he noted.

In concluding his statement, he referred to the hotel as ‘Akufo-Addo hotel’, but Information Minister and MP for Ofuase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong quickly objected to the tag stating: “that the hotel does not belong to Akufo-Addo and he must therefore withdraw his statement”.

The Speaker in an attempt to ask John Jonapor to withdraw turned and realized the legislator was nowhere to be found.

He, therefore, instructed the Minority Chief Whip to call John Jinapor,

The Minority Chief Whip responded by saying: “Mr. Speaker, my colleague drew my attention that he wanted to use the washroom. Mr. Speaker, he’s going to come back because I have always insisted that it is a bad practice even though it is not in our rules that after you’ve finished speaking you leave the floor.

So, when I saw that he was stepping out, I drew his attention that he should come back and he said that he wants to use the washroom. So, Mr. Speaker, I am going to call him that he should come back”, he noted.

The Speaker, therefore, suspended any further discussions on the Finance Committee’s report until the Yapei/Kusawgu MP returned.

After waiting for some time with Jinapor not showing up, the Speaker directed that portions of Jinapor’s submission that stated that “…this Akufo-Addo hotel” be expunged from the records of the House.

John Jinapor later came as he was cheered by his colleagues but then Speaker had ruled that his statement should be expunged from the records.

The House was considering the motion for adoption of the Report of the Finance Committee on the Request for waiver of Import Duties, Import VAT, Import NHIL Levy, Import GETFund Levy, Domestic VAT, Domestic NHIL and Domestic GETFund amount to US$23,983,033.43 (GH?134million) on materials, plant machinery and equipment to be procured by Platinum Properties Limited for the Pullman Accra Airport City Hotel and Serviced Apartments.