Bagbin wouldn’t have allowed e-levy if there was no quorum – Minority told
“We had the quorum, if we didn’t have the quorum, two thirds, there is no way the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin would have allowed that to happen,”
The Government’s Spokesperson on Governance and Security, Palgrave Boakye Danquah has said Parliament had the required number of members present in the House when the e-levy was approved on Tuesday March 29.
He said there were two thirds of the lawmakers in the House.
Speaking on the New Day show on TV3 Friday April 1, Mr Boakye Danquah noted that there was no way the Speaker, Alban Bagbin would have allowed the policy to be passed if there was no quorum.
Contributing to a discussion on the signing of the e-levy into law by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Mr Boakye Danquah said “[the signing] is not a rush. Once parliament has approved a bill the final stage is for the president to assent to the bill.”
He added “Persons who have contrary view in terms of the interpretation of the law will go to the supreme court. The Minority’s case has just been filed, there is no injunction.”
“We had the quorum, if we didn’t have the quorum, two thirds, there is no way the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin would have allowed that to happen,” he said.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmakers have sued the Attorney General following the approval of the e-levy.
The Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu described the approval as illegal and unconstitutional because in their view, the Majority did not have the right numbers to pass it.
“This is a charade,” he said at a press conference in Parliament, adding that “there is no E-levy.”
“The majority of less than 137 conducting businesses only proceeded on illegal and unconstitutional business. Parliament did not have the numbers to take any decision that should binding Parliament and Ghanaians,” he added.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana
