Parliamentary probe committee to take action if Minority refuses to appear

The chairman of the Special Committee investigating the disturbances that disrupted the ministerial vetting process, Mr Emmanuel Bedzrah, has stated that the committee will invoke constitutional provisions and standing orders if members of the Minority refuse to appear before it.

Speaking after Friday’s session, Mr Bedzrah dismissed allegations of bias levelled against him by the Minority, stressing that the committee’s work would continue regardless of their participation.

“Well, I don’t know. We are waiting for them to testify. I have not seen any accusation on my part for being biased. I’m not biased. We all see what we’ve done here, and we have been surprised that they were not here. So, we are waiting for them on Monday,” he said.

“If they are not here on Monday, we will invoke constitutional provisions as well as the standing orders,” he added.

The Minority has accused Mr Bedzrah of prejudging the issue and has written to the Speaker of Parliament requesting his removal as chairman of the committee.

Mr. Bedzrah, however, stated that the Speaker has yet to admit the Minority’s memo, and the committee will continue its work unless directed otherwise.

Their absence, he noted, did not affect Friday’s proceedings, during which the committee heard from ten witnesses out of the eighteen expected to testify.

The public hearing is scheduled to continue on Monday, with additional witnesses, including Members of Parliament and the Clerk of Parliament, who was reportedly seen in video footage of the incident.

Mr. Bedzrah also confirmed that the committee has requested an extension of its mandate by two days, moving the deadline for its report submission from Monday to Thursday.