Minority stages walk-out over Tribunal Bill and accuses Majority of "kangaroo court" plot 

The New Patriotic Party Minority Caucus in Parliament on Thursday staged a walkout over the clause-by-clause amendment of the Tribunal Bill, accusing the Majority of attempting to create a “parallel system” and a “form of kangaroo court they do not recognise.

Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps in Parliament House on Thursday, shortly after leaving the chamber, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader, said the bill sought to establish an adjudicating body unknown to the Constitution and risked undermining due process.

“Our contention as Minority is that this bill seeks to create a parallel system, an analogous system unknown to the Constitution, if we read all provisions of the Constitution as a whole,” he stated.

The Minority Leader explained that the Caucus’s key objection centered on Clause 4 of the bill, which provided that while the Chair of the proposed tribunal must be a lawyer, the other two members can be non-lawyers.

“They are going to preside over criminal matters,” the Minority Leader argued. “If there are issues with the system, the way to go is to reform and to resource, equip, and retool it. It is not to create a parallel system with coordinate jurisdiction,” he added.

He warned that the bill could lead to a situation “where people would be pronounced guilty even before their case was properly determined,” with “no established procedure of ensuring fairness.”

In a pointed remark, Mr Afenyo-Markin reminded Attorney General Dr. Dominic Ayine of his own arguments in the

“Republic v. Tagoe and Issah Abbas case,” where he stressed that justice “is not about media headlines.” It's not about public perception.”

He said the Caucus was left with no option but to walk out after the Majority Leader, Mr Mahama Ayariga, indicated the bill would be passed “whatever the case.”

“In Parliament we believe that in all situations of disagreement there must be a window to discuss. ” But once the Majority Leader makes a strong pronouncement that whatever the case, they will not listen; they will use their numbers to pass the bill, then there is no point again.”

The Minority also disputed the Majority's numbers after a headcount, alleging that after a 5-hour suspension to “marshal members,” only 113 Majority Members of Parliament (MPs) were present, contrary to claims of over 150 by the Clerks at Table.

“We tell you the truth. We will not say anything outside of the truth,” he told journalists, urging the media to verify the figures.

The Minority Leader, also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Effutu, noted that opposition to the Bill extended beyond Parliament, citing Organised Labour and the Trade Union Congress.

“It is not only the Minority that is complaining. Today organised labor has come out loudly to re-echo its position on this matter: that we don't need a tribunal system in our country anymore,” he said.

He drew parallels to the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) era, alleging that the tribunal system was then used to target individuals and seize assets.

“We know what happened in the PNDC era, where people were targeted, assets were seized, and those people who claimed they were tribunal members enriched themselves. We know that record.”

The Minority maintained that existing structures—the High Court, Court of Appeal, and specialised courts for matrimonial, financial crime, and commercial matters—should be strengthened instead.

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress Majority Caucus is undergoing a clause-by-clause amendment of the Bill.

GNA