Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has outlined the established procedure for state security agencies seeking to have Members of Parliament appear before investigating bodies.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, September 23, he said agencies such as the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), the Police Service and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) are expected to formally write to the Speaker of Parliament to request the release of an MP.

He explained that the Speaker subsequently refers such requests to the leadership of Parliament, which works with the Legal Directorate to make arrangements for the affected MP to avail themselves to the investigating agency.

“Let me take you through the rules of procedure in situations where an MP is required to appear before an investigating body. The procedure here is that the agency or the institution involved, be it OSP, Police, EOCO, would write officially to the Speaker and request the release of the member,” he said.

Mr Afenyo-Markin stressed that the arrangement does not amount to preferential treatment for MPs but is based on the nature of parliamentary work.

He therefore questioned whether there had been a change in the procedure.

“So the question is: what has changed?” he asked.

His comments follow an alleged attempt by officers believed to be from the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to arrest Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah after he appeared at the Accra High Court on Wednesday, September 23.