The Ghana Police Service says it has served a criminal summons on the Member of Parliament for Madina constituency in Accra, Francis-Xavier Sosu.
Hon. Sosu, will consequently be arraigned before court on November 8, to face the charges of unlawful obstruction of a public highway, causing damage to public property and others from the demonstration that he joined his constituents to stage over bad roads.
Acting Director-General of the Public Affairs Department of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Kwesi Fori, made this known to journalists in Accra.
“So the latest is that the Police have obtained a criminal summons and (he) has been duly served for him to appear in court on the 8th of November,” he said, adding that the charges against the MP include Obstructing public highway, causing damage among others.
The revelation comes in the wake of the Police’ impasse with Parliament over an attempt to arrest the MP over the demonstration, a thing that Parliament has said is unlawful.
As part of the impasse, Parliament has summoned two officers who allegedly harassed the MP, but according to ACP Kwesi Fori, the official summons has not reached the Police.
It appears the criminal summons against the MP is the Police’ move to flex muscle in response to the summons by Parliament. It is not clear if the Speaker of Parliament will discharge the MP to go to court on that day.
In the past, Parliament is on record to have had an impasse with a High court when former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, had dragged Bawku Central MP, Mahama Ayariga to court, over alleged usage of Ayariga’s office for personal enrichment.
Ayariga would eventually appear before court and the case would later be dismissed as being outside the remit of the SP.
In the case of Hon. Sosu, after the demonstration by his constituents at Ayi Mensa had turned violent, the Police attempted to arrest him even though by leading his constituents he was acting in the line of his duties as MP.
The arrest had however not been successful because the constituents had prevented the Police from effecting the arrest. Sosu would later raise the issue before Parliament leading to the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, summoning two officers over the issue.
The Police in turn has interdicted the Police officer who had been detailed to the MP in an action that thumbs the nose at Parliament.
It is in the wake of these issues that the Police have obtained a criminal summons against the MP.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament has expressed revulsion at what he says are unconstitutional attempts to arrest the MP.
In a statement issued by Parliamentary Service on Wednesday, the Speaker noted “with grave concern” the attempts by the Police Service to arrest Hon. Sosu “in a manner and fashion that offend not just the letter but the very spirit that underpins our 1992 Constitution.”