Bagbin Rejects Minority’s Demand For Cocaine Probe

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has ruled as inadmissible a private member’s motion filed by a member of the minority caucus seeking a parliamentary inquiry into recent major narcotics seizures linked to Ghana.

According to Speaker Bagbin, the proposed inquiry, if allowed, would affect ongoing criminal investigations and judicial proceedings.

The motion, filed by the First Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu, sought the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the seizures, including the processing, inspection, clearance and export of the consignments.

Delivering his ruling yesterday, Mr Bagbin said the proposed committee would have to evaluate evidence and witnesses directly connected to matters currently before the criminal justice system.

He said such an exercise could ultimately require Parliament to determine issues that fell within the jurisdiction of the courts.

“I am of the considered opinion that permitting the motion to proceed in its present form at this particular time may prejudice the interests of parties to pending judicial proceedings,” he said.

He consequently ruled, pursuant to the relevant provisions of Parliament’s Standing Orders, that the motion was inadmissible.

Speaker Bagbin stressed that his ruling did not mean Parliament could never inquire into the matter. “I am not ruling that Parliament can never enquire into these matters, and neither am I suggesting that the matters raised by the requesting members are unimportant,” he said.

He said Parliament could still seek information from Ministers, scrutinise the performance of relevant public institutions, examine the adequacy of narcotics-control legislation and consider broader issues concerning port security, national security and narcotics policy.

What Parliament had to avoid, he said, was conducting a parallel fact-finding exercise that could prejudice parties whose cases were before the courts.

The Speaker also cautioned MPs against using the term ‘cover-up’ in relation to the matter, warning that he would take drastic action against any member who repeated the allegation on the floor.

He subsequently dismissed the motion in limine, meaning at the threshold, on procedural grounds.

Afenyo-Markin raises intelligence concerns

Earlier, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin raised concerns about the willingness of Ghana’s international counterparts to share intelligence on narcotics trafficking.

Referring to comments previously made by the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, Mr Afenyo-Markin said foreign counterparts were reportedly becoming hesitant about providing information because they suspected that insiders could be involved in the narcotics-related activities.

He said the situation raised questions about whether information shared with Ghana would remain secure or be abused.

Mr Afenyo-Markin said the concern was particularly significant because international cooperation and intelligence-sharing were critical to combating transnational narcotics trafficking.

Muntaka clarifies remarks

Mr Muntaka, who was present in the Chamber, rejected what he described as attempts to misrepresent his earlier comments.

He explained that his remarks had referred specifically to security and law-enforcement officials who could compromise investigations, rather than government Ministers or politically exposed persons.

He cited previous narcotics cases in which Customs and other officials had been arrested and prosecuted.

“In our case, we are treating crime as crime. And we do not care whoever is involved,” Mr Muntaka said, stressing that anyone found to have participated in criminal activity would be dealt with.

He said international law-enforcement officers routinely shared intelligence through professional channels, but the involvement of officers within the system could create doubts among their foreign counterparts.

Mr Muntaka said he continued to engage his counterparts abroad and cited communications with the Netherlands’ Minister for Justice and Police. He insisted that he had not suggested that foreign governments no longer trusted Ghana.

Rather, he said, his concern was that the involvement of local officers in criminal activity could undermine confidence among foreign law-enforcement counterparts at the operational level.

The proposed parliamentary inquiry followed a series of high-profile narcotics seizures involving consignments linked to Ghana, prompting calls for scrutiny of the country’s ports, customs controls, intelligence systems and narcotics-enforcement mechanisms.

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