The Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu has indicated that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) would challenge the ruling of the Accra High Court on Tuesday that said the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, was obliged by law to stand trial in a criminal case filed against him by the Special Prosecutor.
According to Mr Iddrisu, they would soon be heading to the Supreme Court for an interpretation, reports Graphic Online's Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson, who was in court on Tuesday. Mr Iddrisu, together with a host of Parliamentarians from the opposition NDC were in court on Tuesday in solidarity with Ayariga who is in court on charges of fraudulently evading tax on imported vehicles.
Ayariga had earlier argued that he was not going to be able to honour the court summons by the Office of the Special Prosecutor because Parliament will be sitting on that day.
Mr Ayariga in a letter addressed to the Special Prosecutor (SP), Mr Martin Amidu and dated Sunday, June 2, said he can't honour the Tuesday, June 4 summons and can only be present in court on any other day that does not coincide with Parliamentary sittings.
He further warned that any conduct by the SP which impedes or obstructs his right to Parliament on that day will amount to Contempt of Parliament and added that he was not enthused about abandoning his parliamentary duties to respond to what he described as an "inappropriately timed invitation".
However, on Tuesday morning, the Accra High Court ordered that he should appear in court.
When he appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon, the court ruled that since Ayariga is an accused person and not a witness, he is not immune to stand trial.
Graphic Online’s Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson reported from the court that Justice Botwe made the ruling following a certificate filed at the court’s registry by the Speaker of Parliament asked the court to exempt Ayariga from the trial because he was attending parliamentary proceedings.
Related: High Court rules that Ayariga is obliged to stand trial
In an interview with the media after the court hearing, Mr Iddrisu argued that the judge failed to take into consideration the whole provisions of the 1992 Constitution that dealt with the legislature.
He said Mahama Ayariga was not asking to be exempted from the trial.
Source: graphic.com.gh
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Who will be the next. Haruna you better hurry to the Supreme Court. You remember the double salary you enjoyed. Honorable indeed. Get ready, on your marks, goooooo.482351
interesting, so you steal monies, with all the free education you people had and you want to use the knowledge you acquired from free education to run from your ***barred word***, eiiiii hmmmmm ,am sure the double salary ***barred word*** are shaking by now, no wonder they are following him like dogs.
The coffin maker is running away from his own casket, Mahama Ayeriga, what makes you think should be treated differently , No one should be allowed to hide behind the cloth of indemnity clause if found to have committed a crime against the state, are we trying to say the Ghanaian law is segmented to deal leniently with a specific group of people, first class citizens of the state, everyone must be treated equally if found guilty of the law, that’s what happens in every serious nation
Who cares? Just go.... Double salary thi.eves.... You can even go to International court. NDC nation wreckers..
Ah NDC, they can't think far! Yesterday, you were saying that the SP was not working! Why are you going to the SC? For what? NANIA%$#MA!
Parliament makes laws but don't want to be under the law? So who are the laws for? Even US lawmakers are tried in court, why not you, too? Parliament is not a hide-out for pple alleged to have committed crimes. Nana Oye too is running to parliament there becos of her legal troubles. You guys think Ghana pple are fo0 ls huh?
Mr Minority leader, you can even go to H*E*L*L and no one cares. Ghana does not belong to a group of th*iv*ves.
I have said this over and over again and will continue repeating it, that there are some elements in the NDC who maintain that by virtues of their academic qualification and mere being able to articulate themselves well in the Queen's language they have the tenet of a politician and can just assume themselves so. Those elements of the NDC I'm referring to are those who rose from campus mock politics to Ministers of state. And they are those their founder referred to as babies with sharp teeth in terms of lying and insulting their way out without substance and thoughtful political message. I guess, a prominent Ghanaian Lawyer had made a referrence to a precedence which dealt with similar case by law and Mr. Ayariga is better adviced to be guided by it. The insolence and the sharp teeth posture is here not advisable.
Do u need to tell us? Go
Do you guys want to run away from justice? The SP alleges that crime has been committed. If you are innocent why don't you defend yourself rather than try using parliamentary immunity to run away from justice. The law has indeed caught up with him. No one is above the law.