Deputy Majority Chief Whip, Habib Iddrisu, has justified comments made by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, on the implementation of the controversial e-levy.
Mr Iddrisu revealed that the comments made by the Majority Leader was not in contempt of court as it is being suggested by the minority. He explained that Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu only sought to clarify some aspect regarding the process leading to the assent of the bill by President Akufo-Addo.
Mr Iddrisu noted that Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s comments was “far” from being contemptuous as it pointed out the Minority Leader and his colleagues position to seek an injunction on the implementation of the E-levy law. This, he explained, the Majority Leader described as an exercise in futility.
The Deputy Majority Chief Whip emphasized that Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu suggested that because the law was duly passed by Parliament, if the Minority had issues with it, they should have reverted to Parliament, instead of proceeding to the Supreme Court.
“What the Majority Leader ought to do was give clarification in the matter before the Supreme Court but not to go in the substance of the issue. Mind you, it was the decision of parliament that the electronic transaction levy was duly passed. But now if you are sending it to court to say that you are putting an injunction on its implementation that is the clarity the Majority Leader was actually giving because if a Bill is passed in Parliament and assented by the President, it becomes a law.”
Habib Iddrisu
Mr Iddrisu explained that because the e-levy was a financial transaction certain procedures needed to be put in place before the implementation. However, “all procedures have been exhausted.”
Some minority’s position on Majority Leader’s comments
On his part, Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has described as “contumacious” comments made by Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, over the implementation of the controversial e-levy.
Mr Dafeamekpor revealed that the Majority Leader’s comments is in contempt of court considering the interlocutory injunction before the Supreme Court.
“Those comments are contumacious of the powers of the Court. Contumacious in the sense that the court has the power to suspend the implementation of the law in the same way that the Executive has suspended the implementation. So, if you say that you have the power to suspend the implementation for say, 30 days, but the Court cannot do so and when the court makes the pronouncement on the 4th of May what would have become of your comments?”
Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor
The Deputy Majority Chief Whip’s comments followed a statement made by the North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on the position of the minority over the Majority Leader’s comment.
“The Majority Leader does not speak on behalf of the judiciary, so I treat his comments with contempt. It has no effect at all on our case. He is not the Chief Justice and he is not the panel going to hear our case on the 4th of May. So, that press conference is really an exercise in futility… Taking note of all these statements and we will return to the Supreme Court shortly and draw the apex court’s attention to these contemptuous statements.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
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