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Twenty deputies from the NDC minority, including leader Haruna Iddrisu accused in court for their march to the headquarters of the Electoral Commission (EC) last year, did not appear in court.
When the case was called to the Accra 11 Circuit Court on Monday, the police prosecutor said he was ready to continue the case, but in the absence of the defendants or their lawyers in court. , the judge of the new fixed date.
These minority MPs marched from Parliament to the EC headquarters and crossed a police barricade to present a petition to the EC on December 22, 2020.
The petition demanded a compilation of the results of the parliamentary elections of Techiman Sud 2020.
In a statement of offense, the police accused the minority deputies of failing to notify the police before holding a special event contrary to articles 1, 2 and 9 of the Law on Public Order.
The police also charged them with unlawful assembly contrary to section 202 of the Criminal Offenses Act.
The ticket alleges that the Members of Parliament illegally assembled for a common purpose and behaved in a manner likely to cause reasonable fear to people in the Ridge neighborhood.
He also accuses them of acting in a way that could cause a breach of the peace.
“You are ordered in the name of the republic to appear before this court in Accra on January 4, 2021”, we read in the lockers distributed in the lockers (shelves) of each of the 20 deputies.
MPs affected by the summons include Deputy Minority Leader James Klutse Avedzi, Chief Minority Whip Muntaka Mubarak, Ningo Prampram MP Samuel George, Former Deputy Home Secretary James Agalga, John Jinapor , Rockson Dafiamekpor, Adam Mutawakilu, Ebenezer Terlabi, Dr Kwabena Donkor, ABA Fuseini, Kofi Buah, Rashid Pelpuo and Richard Quarshigah.
The others are Collins Dauda, Yussif Jahja, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Kunbungu MP Ras Mubarack. NDC Deputy Secretary General Peter Otukunor is the other person charged in connection with the alleged offenses.
Ealier, deputy for Kumbungu Ras Mubarak had indicated that his minority colleagues would not honor a summons from the police which was served on them to appear before the Circuit Court in Accra.
Ras Mubarak told Joy News that the police were committing an illegality by executing a criminal summons against sitting members of parliament without the president’s permission.
Article 117 of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that “civil or criminal proceedings emanating from a court or a place outside Parliament cannot be served on or executed against the President or a deputy or the clerk. of Parliament while on his way. attend or return from any sitting of Parliament. “
“In any case, Parliament is sitting tomorrow (Monday) at 10 am. And they should know better that when parliament is sitting, unless the president explicitly releases a deputy, no one can summon them to court. So it is illegal, ”said Mubarak.
“They should follow the Constitution. They must contact the speaker to inform him of what they want to do, the speaker will give instructions, invite the parties and discuss it before such a service can be provided to MPs.
“But you don’t send these things to MPs and don’t disclose them to the media,” he said.
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