The Custodian Newspaper Online
No Result
View All Result
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Showbiz
  • Health
  • Sport
  • World
  • eStore
The Custodian Newspaper Online
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Showbiz
  • Health
  • Sport
  • World
  • eStore
No Result
View All Result
The Custodian Newspaper Online
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

Bagbin Bursts MPs’ Immunity Bubble

by John Kekeli
June 11, 2021
in Featured, News
0
GRA Honours Kwaku Oteng As Ashanti Region’s ‘Best Excise Taxpayer’

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin

152
SHARES
1.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has burst the bubble that some members of the House have been riding on regarding privileges and immunity with the “belief that an MP cannot be served with court processes”.

He indicated that immunity from service of processes on MPs is necessary to prevent the use of same to impede the work of Parliament.

He however cautioned that this should not be understood to mean Parliamentarians cannot be served at all with any processes from outside Parliament.

“I must bring to your attention the fact that the immunity enjoyed by the Speaker, Members of Parliament, and Clerk to Parliament are not absolute anytime, anywhere, and any day,” he stated

The Speaker addressed a matter of privileges and immunities of MPs as contained in Articles 117 and 118 of the Constitution following reports that some MPs declined or evaded service of court processes and documents while the House was on recess and were not attending or returning from any Parliamentary proceedings.

The situation reportedly led to some confrontation with court process servers and compelled some Justices to issue substituted service orders to ensure adjudication of cases before them.

In a statement to the House on Wednesday, Speaker Alban Bagbin indicated that the 1992 Constitution has provided for the Speaker, MPs and the Clerk to Parliament privileges and immunities that are absolutely necessary for the due execution of their functions and the power of the Parliament.

“These privileges are special rights enjoyed by the House collectively as a whole and by members individually, without which the members could not discharge their functions, and these privileges exceed those enjoyed by other bodies or individuals.

“This is to ensure that the Legislature is able to carry its constitutional duties without let or hindrance from judicial processes”, Mr Bagbin explained.

However, he stressed that the immunity granted by the Constitution can only be exercised when such specific functionary is on his way to, attending at or returning from, any proceedings of Parliament.

“In other words, Members of Parliament may only avail themselves of this immunity when Parliament is in session. Proceedings of the House have been defined to include sittings, meetings and activities of Parliament and its Committees.

“It follows therefore that while Parliament is not in session or the Speaker has not certified that a Member or Clerk to Parliament is attending to the business of Parliament, a Member of Parliament may not evade service of court process or refuse to appear as a court summoned witness in a court proceeding.

“Any such act would amount to a violation of Articles 117 and 118 of the Constitution and same would not be encouraged in this House,” he added.

He averred that as important as the privileges and immunities provided by the 1992 Constitution are to secure Parliament’s role in Ghana’s democracy, it also provides that the arms of government will be committed to ensuring their practices to promote a workable government and democracy.

Nonetheless, he cautioned that the constitutional privileges and immunities must not be abused nor asserted to frustrate its very purpose of promoting Ghana’s democracy.

Post Views: 463
  • Latest
  • Trending
Carlo Ancelotti jailed

Carlo Ancelotti jailed for tax evasion

July 9, 2025
Body of missing immigration officer, Amoah found partly burnt

Body of missing immigration officer, Amoah found partly burnt

July 9, 2025
Mohammed Kudus Tottenham

Mohammed Kudus set to join Tottenham

July 9, 2025
Ghanaian MPs died

Here are 4 Ghanaian MPs who died in office in the last 5 years

July 9, 2025
Newspapers Tuesday 24th June 2025

Newspaper Frontpages – Tuesday, 24th June, 2025

June 24, 2025
Newspaper Frontpages (Tuesday, 17th June, 2025)

Newspaper Frontpages (Tuesday, 17th June, 2025)

June 17, 2025
Newspaper Frontpages (Monday, 16th June, 2025)

Newspaper Frontpages (Monday, 16th June, 2025)

June 16, 2025
Newspaper Frontpages – Monday, 30th June, 2025

Newspaper Frontpages – Monday, 30th June, 2025

June 30, 2025

The CustodianGh Online’s vision is to become the most preferred go-to news brand in Ghana.

Contact Us

thecustodiangh@gmail.com

Popular Categories

  • News
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sport
  • Arts & Showbiz
  • Tech

Archives

© 2025 The CustodianGh Online - All rights reserved.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Showbiz
  • Health
  • Sport
  • eStore

© 2025 The CustodianGh Online - All rights reserved.