14 Year Imprisonment For Breach Of Covid-19 Lockdown Is Too Harsh-Minority MP

Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Innusah Fusseini, has decried the penalty that comes with any possible breach of the partial lockdown that the Government has instituted.

According to him, the penalty regime prescribed for a breach of the lockdown makes ity possible for a judge to jail anyone who found in violation up to 14 years and that it is too harsh.

“I don’t think the coronavirus will be around for one year. So why will a person who breaches a measure intended to prevent the spread of the disease, go to jail for 14 or so years,” he asked rhetorically in a radio interview monitored by WhatsUp News.

The Imposition of Restriction Act which was recently passed by parliament, effectively clothing President Akufo-Addo with wartime powers, slaps a 1000 to 5000 penalty-unit fine on those who flout the law which translates into a GHS12,000 to GHS60,000 respectively.

Innusah Fuseini, who is Ranking Member on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, explains that in default, you could spend up to 14 years in jail.

“Failure to pay the fine will lead to incarceration. The maximum for a fine of 60,000 is about 14 years,” he said

He added that, ““Even though the virus is quite serious, I don’t think a breach of an Executive Instrument will bring that offense in the category of a felony.”

Ghana is partially on lockdown as the capital region, Greater Accra and parts of the Ashanti Region are under curfew due to a government measure to contain the spread of the deadly Coronavirus.

Under the arrangement, the streets of the affected areas have been deployed with Police and soldiers who have been empowered to use force against anybody who breaches the lockdown order if necessary.