MPs warn over no copies of Special prosecutor L.I

Members of Ghana’s Parliament are yet to have copies of the Legislative Instruments (LIs) for the office of the Special Prosecutor almost two weeks after they were laid.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor Regulations, 2018 and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Regulations), 2018 were laid by the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, on behalf of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Gloria Akuffo on 26 November.

The LIs, which are to regulate the operations of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, were since referred to the Committee on Subsidiary Legislation for consideration and report.

They have 21 sitting days to mature into law.

The Executive is however yet to make copies of the Lis available to the MPs.

Speaking in Parliament Wednesday the Minority Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak warned that the Attorney General will be compelled to withdraw the LIs if copies are not available to them by next week Tuesday.

“It’s because of this regulation that we were forced to come and sit here on Saturday. As we speak, Mr Speaker, the regulation is not in the House. Mr Speaker…we cannot be forcing the wrong thing to be done,” he said.

Describing the Executive’s delay in getting them the copies unfair, he continued that: “Mr Speaker, my plea is that we get this document or we give ourselves a timetable if by Tuesday it’s not here we should withdraw it.”

“I totally agree with the Minority Chief Whip,” Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation and MP for Old Tafo Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei said in support.

First deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu who was presiding directed the Majority leadership to ensure copies of the LIs are made available to the MPs.

“Let the Majority leader ensure that members are given copies because I saw a copy and directed that it should be forwarded for gazetting. So members’ copies should be put in their pigeonholes.”