Five members of Parliament are praying the Sekondi High Court to remove a restriction government imposed on the further expansion of the Takoradi Port.
The five are Hon Kwaku Kwarteng (Obuasi West MP), Hon Kwabena Okyere Darko (Takoradi MP), Hon Joseph Cudjoe (Effia MP), Hon Mavis Hawa Koomson ( Ewutu Senya MP) and Hon Kofi Brako (Tema Central MP).
Parliament, in July, approved an agreement made between the government and a British company, Lonrho Ports, for the development of an oil and gas freeport in the Western Region
Clause 7 of the said agreement bars Takoradi Port from further expanding its facilities for oil and gas until Lonrho has built its freeport, recovered all its cost, and made enough profit.
The agreement further bars all persons or companies from building any oil and gas port facilities in the entire Western Region until Lonrho has recovered its investment and made its profit.
But the five Members of Parliament insist that this restriction imposed on a national port like the Takoradi Port is unlawful.
They argue in their affidavit that the restriction offends section 5 of the Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority Act and are praying the court to remove the restriction.
Parliament recently approved a loan of �197 million for the expansion of the oil and gas facilities at the Takoradi Port, and that the port is in the process of securing another US$400 million to support the expansion programme but the MPs believe imposing the restriction on the port would make it impossible for it to repay those loans.
They further stated that the restriction will collapse the port and render its workers jobless.
The case will be heard on August 28, 2014 and the Lawyer for the five Members of Parliament is Mr Alexander Abban, the same lawyer who defeated government in the illegal fuel prices case in 2011.
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