Speaker Alban Bagbin Moves to Discipline Parliamentary Staff Over unauthorized release of Draft Hansard.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has initiated internal disciplinary procedures against Thomas Bosompem, a senior executive officer of the Parliamentary Service, for releasing the draft Hansard from 17 October 2024 to the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
According to a report by AsaaseRadio, the draft Hansard was crucial in Afenyo-Markin’s ex-parte application to the Supreme Court, which resulted in a stay on the Speaker’s ruling declaring four parliamentary seats vacant.
The Speaker’s decision, made following an application by Minority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson, declared the seats of four MPs—including Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, Kwadjo Asante, and Cynthia Morrison—vacant.
However, Afenyo-Markin’s legal team subsequently filed an ex-parte motion to the Supreme Court, which ordered a temporary halt on the Speaker’s ruling. The court is expected to provide a final interpretation on the constitutional matter.
A query memo, dated 21 October 2024, was issued to Bosompem, instructing him to explain why disciplinary actions should not be taken for unauthorized photocopying and dissemination of the draft Hansard.
He has been given until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, 23 October 2024, to respond.
The incident highlights the tension between the Parliament’s internal processes and the legal battles surrounding recent parliamentary seat disputes.