Parliament: Journalists Barred From Covering Ken Agyapong’s contempt case

Journalists covering proceedings at Privileges Committee of Parliament’s sitting on the Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong’s demeaning claims against Parliament have been ordered out of the room.

The MP was hauled before the Committee after he allegedly called his colleague legislators “useless” for making Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu the Majority Leader.

His comments were deemed to be in contempt of parliament and was accordingly cited as such by the MP for Asawase, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak.

The Ranking Member of the Privileges Committee, Mathias Kwame Ntowsaid had told Wiston Amoah on 3FM’s Sunrise that because the matter is of public interest, the sitting will be done publicly.

But when the Committee sat on Tuesday, June 26, in the afternoon, its Chairman Joseph Osei Owusu said the media were not invited and asked them to leave the room for proceedings to continue.

He said the media would be invited at the appropriate time, our parliamentary correspondent, Evelyn Tengmaa reports.

Meanwhile the chairman said both the witness and  accused were given notice to appear before the Committee.

The witness was present at the time of filing this report, but Mr. Agyapong was nowhere near the committee sitting even though Evelyn said she sighted him in the main chamber during parliamentary proceedings.

The Assin Central MP last week went berserk expressing his anger at the Asawase MP for referring him to the Committee, calling Mohammed Muntaka who is also the Minority Chief Whip “dumb”.

Meanwhile, the Ranking Member of the Privileges Committee, Mathias Kwame Ntow, has described Mr. Agyapong’s attitude as “unfortunate”.

“Honorable Kennedy is one of the people that I don’t know how to describe him…[he]thinks that he has every evidence, he has everything, every information on every Ghanaian or every Member of Parliament in this country.”

Source: Isaac Essel | 3news.com