{"id":37408,"date":"2014-08-06T14:20:55","date_gmt":"2014-08-06T14:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=37408"},"modified":"2014-08-06T15:04:26","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T15:04:26","slug":"leave-barton-odro-alone-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/08\/leave-barton-odro-alone-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Leave Barton Odro alone \u2013 Group"},"content":{"rendered":"

A group calling itself \u201cCoalition for the Protection of Ebo Barton Odro\u201d is asking those calling on the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament to resign to back off.<\/p>\n

The group says the calls are misplaced and an attempt to make him unpopular.<\/p>\n

Pressure is mounting on the first Deputy Speaker; Ebo Barton Odro to resign from his position for saying that government had no case against the payment of GHC 51 million judgement debt to Alfred Woyome.<\/p>\n

The former Deputy Attorney General has justified the payment of the judgement debt, which many have described as criminal.<\/p>\n

The Cape Coast North lawmaker told a Cape Coast based radio station hours before the Supreme Court ordered Alfred Agbesi Woyome to refund the money that \u201cI still stand by what I said that the state had a bad case.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coordinator of the group, Koku Mawuli Nenegbe in an interview with Citi News<\/strong> said the former Deputy AG should be left alone.<\/p>\n

He said Barton Odro is \u201centitled to his views because all that he has expressed are his views; his legal opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nenegbe noted that for people to be calling for his resignation \u201cis very much misplaced and it should not be allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Vitus Azeem has added his voice to calls for the first deputy Speaker of Parliament, Ebo Barton Odro to resign.<\/p>\n

According to the Anti-Graft campaigner, Barton Odro, in his capacity as a senior lawyer, should not have made such statements.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the case was going on, the case was before court and it was not proper for him as a senior lawyer to have made comments that could influence the direction of the determination of the case,\u201d Azeem opined.<\/p>\n

The GII boss pointed out that it was wrong for Barton Odro to insist that the state had no case when the state was in the process of defending the case.<\/p>\n

Mr. Azeem urged the former Deputy AG to resign from his position as First Deputy Speaker of Parliament not only to save his image, but that of the Legislature as well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By: Efua Idan Osam\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
\nFollow @osamidan<\/a>
\n