Alban Bagbin moves to discipline parliamentary staff for releasing “Hansard” to Majority Leader

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has initiated internal steps to discipline a senior executive officer of the Parliamentary Service, Thomas Bosompem, for releasing the draft Hansard of Thursday 17 October 2024 to the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.

The draft Hansard formed the basis of Afenyo-Markin’s ex-parte application to the Supreme Court, which prompted the apex court of the land to order a stay of the Speaker’s decision declaring four seats in the House vacant.

The Speaker’s decision is described in a query memo written to Bosompem by the editor of reporting of debates in the chamber, dated Monday 21 October 2024. Asaase News has seen this memo.

“Pursuant to Regulation 51(c) and (o) of the Parliamentary Service (Staff) Regulations 2019 (CI 118), explain why disciplinary action should not be instituted against you for photocopying the draft Hansard of Thursday 17 October 2024, and making same available to some other persons without authorisation.

“Your response should be submitted to the Editor of Debates, Chamber Reporting, by 4.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 23 October 2024,” the memo says.

On Thursday, Speaker Bagbin, in a ruling following an application by the Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, declared four seats in Parliament vacant. The legislators and seats affected by the Speaker’s ruling were: Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah, MP for Amenfi Central in the Western Region, Andrews Asiamah Amoako, MP for Fomena, Ashanti Region (independent), Kwadjo Asante, MP for Suhum in the Eastern Region (NPP), and Cynthia Morrison, the MP for Agona West, Central Region.

However, lawyers for the Majority Leader proceeded to the Supreme Court the following day (18 October) with an ex-parte application praying the court to stay the enforcement of the Speaker’s ruling.

A five-member Supreme Court panel presided over by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, granted the ex-parte motion and ordered the parties to file their statements of case within seven days, which will allow the court to deal expeditiously with the substantive application before they seek interpretation of Article 97(1) (g) and (h) of the 1992 constitution.

Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra