The motion concerns allegations of mass dismissals of public appointees following the current government’s assumption of power after the National Democratic Congress’ victory in the December 2024 elections.
In March, Bernard Ahiafor blocked a parliamentary inquiry into the dismissals, citing the sub judice rule due to a pending court case, Henry Nana Boakye v. Attorney-General.
However, Afenyo-Markin argued that the ruling misapplied the sub judice principle, restricting Parliament’s constitutional oversight functions unnecessarily.
He cited the Supreme Court’s May 2025 ruling in Vincent Ekow Assafuah v. Attorney-General, which affirmed that constitutional bodies could proceed with their duties unless explicitly restrained by the courts.
Afenyo-Markin further referenced a 2012 ruling by then-Speaker Joyce Bamford-Addo that allowed parliamentary discussions on matters even when court cases were ongoing, warning that allowing litigation to halt parliamentary probes could create a dangerous precedent.
Speaker Bagbin, while announcing the deferment on June 13, stressed the need to thoroughly examine the conflicting legal precedents.
“It’s important for us to take time to go through this,” he stated, acknowledging the complexity of balancing judicial decisions with parliamentary duties.
The Speaker’s ruling will be delivered at a later date, leaving the future of parliamentary scrutiny into the alleged dismissals unresolved for now.