The Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has directed the Parliamentary Service of Ghana to engage the Attorney General’s Department, rather than an external firm, for legal representation in a Supreme Court case concerning vacant parliamentary seats.
The PPA’s decision follows a request by Parliament to procure the services of Messrs Sory@Law, which was subsequently denied.
The PPA emphasised that, as a state institution, Parliament should rely on the Attorney General’s Department for legal matters to maintain institutional integrity and adhere to procurement protocols.
The decision was outlined in a letter dated December 12, 2022, signed by PPA Chief Executive Officer Frank Mante, responding to Parliament’s initial request submitted on November 15, 2022.
“At the 31st Board Meeting of the 5th Board held on Thursday, 8 December 2022, the Board could not approve your request to use the Single Source Procurement Method to engage Messrs Sory@Law as an external solicitor to support Parliament and the Parliamentary Service at a Retainer Fee of GHS5,000.00 and specific fee for the conduct of constitutional cases in the Supreme Court at a fee not exceeding GHC300,000.00,” the PPA’s letter to the Clerk to Parliament stated.
“The Board noted that, since the Attorney General is the Principal Legal Advisor, the Board is of the considered opinion that, Parliamentary Service should continue to use the Services of the AG in all legal matters,” read the PPA’s letter to Cyril Kwabena Oteng-Nsiah, Clerk to Parliament.
Sory@Law, which represented Parliament in the 2023/2024 legal year, has filed on behalf of Parliament in several cases for the ongoing 2024/2025 year, including a recent case involving Alexander Afenyo Markin against the Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney General’s Department. This case, now at the Supreme Court, seeks an interpretation of Article 97 (1) (g) and (h) concerning the seats held by four current members of Parliament.
