Court adjourns hearing as Minority MPs fail to honour police summons

Twenty (20) legislators of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) were sued by the state for protesting against the results of the 2020 elections.

The NDC MPs were expected to appear before the Accra Magistrate Court today, January 4, 202, after being summoned, however, they failed to honour the police summon.

The Accra Circuit Court 11 was, therefore, forced to adjourn the case after none of the Minority legislators showed up.

State sues Haruna Iddrisu, other NDC MPs who marched to EC’s office Pulse Ghana

The Minority MPs had earlier hinted that they would not appear before court the court despite being summoned.

The MP for Kunbungu, Ras Mubarak, had described the Police summon was unlawful, citing Article 117 of the 1992 Constitution, which says: “civil or criminal process coming from any court or place out of Parliament shall not be served on, or executed in relation to, the Speaker or a member or the clerk to Parliament while he is on his way to, attending at or returning from, any proceedings of Parliament.”

Mr. Mubarak told Joy News that Parliament will sit today and “unless the speaker explicitly releases any MP, no one can summon them to any court. So, this is an illegality.”

“They should follow the Constitution. They should contact the speaker to inform him of what they want to do, the speaker will give directions, invite the parties, and discuss it before any such service can be served on MPs.

“But you don’t send these things to MPs and leak it to the media and expect that any MP will take you seriously. They are taking us into the abyss.”

He added: “Personally, I will not be in court. Because the proper thing has not been done. I get the indication that is the position of my colleagues too.

“I have not seen any letter from the speaker’s office permitting them to serve me as an MP.”

The NDC MPs sued by the State include Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, Samuel George and John Abdulai Jinapor.

Others are Rockson Nelson Etse Kwami Defiamekpor, Ras Mubarak, Mutawakilu Adam, Ebenezer Okletey Yerlabi, Dr Kwabena Donkor, Bashir Alhassan Fuseini and Kwabena Mintah Akando.