African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs cautions Parliament not to rush to declare Asante Akyem North seat vacant

The African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) has cautioned Parliament against prematurely declaring the Asante Akyem North parliamentary seat vacant following the detention of the constituency’s Member of Parliament, Kwame Ohene Frimpong, in the Netherlands.

Mr. Frimpong was arrested at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on May 8 over allegations of money laundering and romance scam-related offences and remains in detention as legal proceedings continue.

Executive Director of ACEPA, Dr. Rasheed Draman, said Parliament should allow the judicial process to run its course before taking any decision on the status of the seat.

According to him, the principles of natural justice require that the MP be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“Under the rules of natural justice, somebody has been accused, he hasn’t had his day in court yet, he hasn’t been convicted yet. Once he becomes a convict, then he’s completely disqualified to even come near Parliament. But we are not there yet,” he said.

Dr. Draman noted that any decision on whether the seat should be declared vacant should only be considered after the conclusion of the trial.

“I think he is going to have his day in court very soon and maybe we can make pronouncements after that. There is a lacuna in the kind of legal systems that guide the issues of representation. There’s a lot of silence in terms of how long somebody should be away from Parliament,” he added.

Parliament on May 12 confirmed that it had been officially informed of the detention of the Independent MP at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has confirmed that the government is providing consular assistance to Mr. Frimpong.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, July 27, Mr. Ablakwa said Ghana’s mission in The Hague has been engaging Dutch authorities, the MP’s family and his legal team to ensure his rights are protected throughout the legal process.