The post of president will be reduced to a simple conveyor belt if speakers are allowed to accept petitions – Kyei Mensah Bonsu

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs explained why he challenged the Speaker of Parliament to admit the petition filed by the former owners of the now defunct UT Bank and UniBank on behalf of the House.

Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, who was speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Tuesday, noted that although lawmakers are open to hearing and accepting citizens’ petitions, never in the country’s history has the President been the one who accepted such petitions.

The Suame MP said Mr. Bagbin’s action could be detrimental to the position of president.

“The President says that as President there is nowhere in the Constitution or the Rules that prevents him from admitting petitions. It is therefore open to all petitions and I cannot believe it.

“This is because the House will then be inundated with petitions from left, right and center if the Presidency is to be reduced to a mere conveyor belt. So I don’t agree with the President, ”he told host Evans Mensah.

A former finance minister Dr Kwabena Duffuor and the CEO of the now defunct UT Bank petitioned Parliament on Friday about the Bank of Ghana (BoG) revocation of their banking license.

The former central bank governor has asked lawmakers to investigate BoG’s conduct in connection with the takeover.

And call on Parliament to lead the reinstatement of the banking license of Unibank Ghana Limited by BoG and remedy the damage to shareholders’ property rights as a result of the conduct of the central bank.

But in his view, this particular case is a sub-prejudice, as such the President should not have admitted in the first place.

He insisted that this could disrupt the legal process in the matter.

“I expressed my opinion, I told the President that I do not agree with the remedy he uses because a case is before the Court.

“The Court has not exhausted the processes and the cases are heard by the Court and the Court, both people run to Parliament to seek cover and petition Parliament,” he said.

However, Mr. Kyei Mensah Bonsu said that despite his disagreement, he will abide by the President’s directive and perform his duties as he should to ensure the petition is deliberated.