{"id":316081,"date":"2017-05-03T05:59:38","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T05:59:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=316081"},"modified":"2017-05-03T05:59:38","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T05:59:38","slug":"current-parliament-cant-punish-visa-fraud-mps-for-past-wrongs-amidu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/05\/current-parliament-cant-punish-visa-fraud-mps-for-past-wrongs-amidu\/","title":{"rendered":"Current parliament can’t punish ‘visa fraud’ MPs for past wrongs – Amidu"},"content":{"rendered":"
Former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, has said that the 7th Parliament, currently led by Speaker, Prof. Mike Oquaye, cannot punish the three incumbent Members of Parliament and a former one, accused by the British High Commission of using their diplomatic passports to engage in visa fraud.<\/p>\n
The alleged visa fraud came to the fore after release of a confidential letter the British High Commission in Ghana wrote to the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, accusing the MPs of facilitating the entry of some of their supposed relatives to the UK using their Diplomatic Passports<\/p>\n
The letter cited Richard Acheampong, MP for Bia East in the Western Region; Joseph Benhazin Dahah, MP for Asutifi North in the Brong Ahafo region; Johnson Kwaku Adu, MP for Ahafo Ano South West in the Ashanti Region and George Boakye, former MP for Asunafo South in the Brong Ahafo.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”MsPHQBxUcZqbwt0DsFpcxsFcASuaBAXg”]The accused persons have thus been banned by from entering the UK for ten years.<\/p>\n
The Speaker has said the House is investigating the matter and would come out with the appropriate response and sanctions.<\/p>\n
But Mr. Amidu, who in his latest statement on the matter condemned the insults on the British High Commissioner to Ghana over the leaked letter, said the four accused persons committed the alleged offenses whiles serving as MPs in the 5th and 6th parliaments, which have both been dissolved.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsequently, I do not think that the 7th Parliament has any jurisdiction to exact any punishment from the one former (NDC) MP under the 5th Parliament and the three (NPP) MPs under the 6th Parliament for offences committed in previous Parliaments that have already been dissolved by law. The three (NPP) MPs of the 6th Parliament now serving in the 7th Parliament were elected thereto and took the oath under a different mandate which begun on 7th January 2017.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Amidu is of the view that, the Speaker should have referred the matter to the Ghana Police Service to investigate it as a criminal matter, or to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, which deals with the issuance of diplomatic passports to take action.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dissolution of those Parliaments did not affect whatever criminal offences involving fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude the MPs might have been suspected of committing outside Parliament when they were MPs in the 5th and 6th Parliaments. Consequently, even though the British High Commission wrote to the Speaker of Parliament upon his inaugural undertaking, this matter should have been disposed of by the Speaker timeously, as he had no jurisdiction, by referring the High Commission\u2019s letter to the Ghana Police Service for investigations in accordance with the laws of Ghana.\u201d<\/p>\n