The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has issued a warning, stating that he may cite Chairmen of Parliamentary Select Committees for contempt if they continue to delay the submission of reports.
This comes after accusations were made against the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Kwaku Kwarteng, by the Chairman of the Trade, Industry and Tourism Committee, Carlos Ahenkorah, and the Minister for Trade and Industry, K.T Hammond.
The accusations revolve around the alleged failure of the Finance Committee to consider and report to the plenary on tax waiver requests for factories under the One District One Factory Policy (1D1F).
The Speaker emphasized the importance of timely reporting, especially on matters such as tax waiver requests, and urged committees to submit reports for further action.
“My attention was drawn to one of them some time ago, and I spoke to the chairman of the committee. If you have any concerns, report to the house. But we cannot refer matters to a committee, and the committee on its own decides that it will not report to the house, and that ends the matter. That is unacceptable.”
“We may in future be compelled to take contempt cases against some of your people, and as leaders you also know that they disqualify themselves from holding some positions. When you are chair of a committee, and you are not performing, the standing orders allow the leadership to recommend for replacement,” he said.