Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) James Avedzi says MP for Effutu constituency, Alexander Afenyo Markin is “an absentee committee member” who has no right to criticise the committee’s decision to cause the arrest of some finance officers.

Mr Avedzi, on Monday, ordered the arrest of two officials who were picked up by Parliament’s police after they were cited for irregularities at the Sefwi Akontombra Assembly in the Western region.

Mr. Avedzi accused them of forging official documents and got the police to handcuff and arrest them on live television during committee’s sitting.

Afenyo Markin believes the PAC Chairman abused their human rights, acted overzealously and set a bad precedent.

But Mr. Avedzi has fired back, describing the comments as unfortunate.

“I don’t think he is the only lawyer in Ghana. Unfortunately, he is a member of this committee. If he had been attending committee meetings, definitely he would have understood why we took that decision.

“I blame him for taking that position because he has been absent without any permission for days. So let’s leave him alone. He is the only person against the bold decision we have taken,” the PAC Chairman said.

Afenyo Markin is a member of the Public Accounts Committee, the body charged to “examine the audited accounts showing the appropriation of the sums granted by Parliament to meet the public expenditure of the government as presented to the House by the Auditor-General of Ghana.”