Member of Parliament for Obuasi West, Kwaku Kwarteng, has accused the Mahama administration of breaching the constitution by hosting the two former Guantanamo detainees without prior approval from Parliament.
Citing Article 75 of the constitution, he explained that government should have consulted Parliament before taking any decision since the decision constitutes an international agreement.
[contextly_sidebar id=”Db4cBfI7IAEZc4eQEYHOnIFzfKtG2Ykw”]Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Kwarteng asked government to publish the agreement and seek parliamentary approval.
“…If you go to Article 75 (2) of our constitution, specifically 75 (2) it says a treaty, agreement, or convention executed by or under the authority of the President shall be subjected to an act of Parliament or a resolution of Parliament supported by the votes of more than one half the votes of more than one half of all the Members of Parliament.
“I take the view that this ought to have come before Parliament as a matter of constitutional requirement … the decision not to lay it before Parliament is an unconstitutional view to take,” the MP posited.
Various religious groups and individuals have called on government to return the two to the US where they were repatriated from.
But the United States Embassy in Ghana has assured citizens that the presence of the two poses no threat to the security of the country.
In another development, the Public Affairs Counselor at the US Embassy in Ghana has revealed that the government of Ghana is footing part of the bills for the upkeep of the former Guantanamo Bay detainees being hosted in the country.
He later backtracked on the assertion saying Ghana will only take care of the monitoring and infrastructure that will host the two men whiles US deals with the financial obligation.
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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