Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, is hoping the controversial Special Prosecutors Office Bill will be passed early enough before the 2018 Budget Statement will be read in November.

Without the passage of the Bill into law, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said there will be no budgetary allocation for the setting up of the office.

The Bill was withdrawn yesterday after a feisty resistance by the Minority in Parliament who raised issues about breach of procedures in laying the Bill in Parliament.

By Parliamentary procedures, all Bills have to be published and gazetted for a period of 14-days before they are laid before Parliament.

However, the Deputy Attorney General Mr. Joseph Dindiok Kpemka laid the Bill on July 19, 2017, under the cover of a certificate of urgency.

When the Bill was sent before the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, the members made up of both NDC and NPP rejected the Bill, stating there was no urgency for such a bill.

On Wednesday, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu withdrew the Bill from Parliament.

In an interview with Joy News’ Raymond Acquah, the Majority Leader said the Bill was withdrawn to allow for further consultation.

According to him, there were a number of memoranda submitted with inputs on how to improve upon the Bill and they are considering those suggestions.

He said the Majority could easily have gone ahead to pass the Bill but opted for consensus and broader consultation.

That notwithstanding, he said they would have to finish with the consultations early enough and pass the bill before the 2018 budget is read.

“We certainly are going to pass it. We need to finish early for it to be factored into the ensuing budget because establishing the office will require budgetary allocation and then have them factored into the 2018 budget,” he said.