The Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu has called on President Akufo-Addo to assent to the anti-witchcraft bill.
The Bill was passed by Parliament on Thursday, July 27, 2023, providing protection for victims accused of witchcraft in Ghana. The Bill now awaits Presidential assent.
President Akufo-Addo cited potential financial implications on the country’s consolidated fund as the reason behind his decision not to sign the bill.
Francis-Xavier Sosu who is a legal luminary is not accepting such an excuse, deeming it inappropriate for the President to raise such concerns months after the bill was passed into law by parliamentarians in Ghana on July 27, 2023.
Speaking at the thought leadership conversation on “Ensuring Gender Equality and Protection from vulnerabilities: The Urgent Need To Assent To the Affirmative Action Bill and The Criminal and Other Offences (Amendment) Bill organized by ActionAid Ghana, lawyer Francis-Xavier Sosu reiterated that he sees no financial charge accompanied by the passage of the bill, as claimed by the President.
“It is therefore my considered view that the President is in violation of Articles 106(7) and (8) of the Constitution, and grossly misinterpreted Article 108, as it only deals with the procedure of submission and admission of Private member’s Bills, considering that the Bills were rightly admitted by the person presiding, the Rt. Hon. Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin,” the MP stated.
He noted that the interpretation of Article 108 should not and does not include Bills that have been admitted, scrutinised, gone through various Parliamentary stages and passed unanimously by the House.
He called on the President, to as a matter of urgency, visit the witches camp to see firsthand the ordeal these alleged witches go through.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com
