The Deputy Chairman of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs of Parliament, George Loh is daring the minority in parliament to go to court over their demand for a halt in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) disbursements.
Mr Loh’s comments comes in the wake of the allegations raised by the minority that Ghana’s deal with the Breton Woods Institution remains unconstitutional since the deal, they claim, did not receive any approval from parliament.
They therefore demand that the IMF freezes further disbursements to Ghana.
But the North Dayi Legislator reacting to the issues in an interview with Accra based Citi FM insisted that the deal does not need any parliamentary approval, daring the minority caucus in parliament to go to court over its legal threat issued on the matter.
“They should go to court -they’ve always gone to court. Court is their second bedroom. This is just a programme we’ve entered into for technical assistance. We haven’t gone in for an IMF loan,” he said.
According to him, the minority’s push for the country’s bailout programme with the IMF to receive a parliamentary approval is irrelevant.
Loh feels this is a calculated attempt by the minority to sabotage the programme, which he contends, the country is doing well on it.
The Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei and legal practitioner, Alexander Afenyo Markin, at a press conference Tuesday, said President Mahama violated the law and approved the deal without recourse to Parliament, citing Article 181 (3) of the constitution that states that “no loan shall be raised by the government on behalf of itself or any other public institution or authority otherwise than by or under the authority of an Act of Parliament.”
It therefore wants President Mahama to “take immediate corrective measures and call on the Speaker to cause Parliament to be recalled to approve” the deal.
“We demand further, that this exercise be undertaken not later than, by the end of this month, September, 2015.
By: Kasapafmonline.com/Ghana
