Audio By Carbonatix
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has been entreated to order the presence of Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, in the House to explain the extreme measures implemented by government to combat illegal mining.
Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu in addressing the floor of the House, Friday, May 28, said in his capacity as the principal legal advisor to the government, Mr Dame must be summoned in accordance with Article 88 to explain the stance taken by President Akufo-Addo in defending the burning of excavators.
"We will want to summon the Attorney General in accordance with Article 88 of the constitution as the Principal Legal Advisor to the government on why the President should not be held in check for being in breach of the laws of Ghana. Some material evidence must be provided that burning excavators is sanctioned by the laws of Ghana and I wait to see that law.
"Extra Judicial Power is never vested in the President. So the Attorney General will be brought before this House to uphold the constitution and the laws of Ghana and to hold himself accountable to the laws of Ghana," he said.
President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, May 26, recommended the court of law to persons who have opined that actions by the Operation Halt team contravened the laws of the land.
“The equipment, which is being used for an illegal or criminal purpose, cannot confer on the owner or any other person any rights whatsoever,” the President added.
But according to the Tamale South MP, there is no law found in the constitution that supports the burning of excavators, hence the incumbent is engaged in an illegality.
Some members of the Minority have explained that the actions taken by the Akufo-Addo-led administration are nothing to write home about since it suggests mob justice as the ideal way to rid the country of “galamsey” operations.
The Tamale North MP, Alhassan Suhuyini, stated that Article 995 of the constitution does not prescribe the burning of excavators as what should be done to confiscated equipment and machinery used in illegal mining.
For him, accessing documents from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), to penalize culprits found mining in water bodies and forest reserves, would be the best alternative to address this challenge.
But sharing similar a position as the President, Majority leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has stated that seeking redress at the courts is the best alternative for critics against the tactics employed by government in the "galamsey" fight.
Latest Stories
-
Why Gordon Asare Bediako matters for NPP 2028’s communication
1 minute -
UPSA hosts 11th Business & Entrepreneurship Conference on ESG and Sustainability
12 minutes -
Strong public confidence boosts Ghana’s drive towards local vaccine production
32 minutes -
Strategy Execution for Results
39 minutes -
Teens need to press pause on late-night doomscrolling
39 minutes -
PIAC probes delayed Ehi–Dzodze road project amid concerns over oil revenue use
41 minutes -
Amb. Dr Samuel Ben Owusu calls for urgent action on Ghana’s water security
56 minutes -
Pan Africa AU Agenda 2063 Mission, IAWPA hold Africa Day Leadership Summit in Accra
59 minutes -
Akatsi North MP calls for more teacher recruitment as district commissions new projects
1 hour -
Paternity Fraud Laws in Ghana: A balanced alternative to Compulsory Paternity Testing at Birth
1 hour -
Flooding in Accra: Over 30 Years of Doing Nothing
2 hours -
TI Ghana, GIPC intensify media campaign against fronting in business sector
2 hours -
“I suffered beatings, look at my marks” – Evacuated Ghanaian recounts alleged xenophobic attack in South Africa
2 hours -
Afanyi Dadzie Writes: Xenophobia, illegal migration and the hard truths we must face as Ghanaians
2 hours -
The NPP can only secure victory in 2028 with the right leadership choices at every level of the party
3 hours