In a twist to the recent controversy surrounding President Akufo-Addo’s rejection of three private members’ bills, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has revealed a startling revelation, asserting that one of the bills, the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill, 2023 had already received the President’s assent.
President Akufo-Addo, in a memorandum to Parliament, had cited a breach of Article 108 of the constitution as the reason for refusing to assent to the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill, Criminal Offences Amendment Bill (2), and Armed Forces Amendment Bill, dismissing them as private members bills.
Speaker Bagbin had criticized the President’s decision, describing it as “tragic” and claiming that Akufo-Addo had been misinformed.
Addressing the matter in detail on Friday, Bagbin revealed that President Akufo-Addo had indeed given his assent to the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill, which focused on the abolishment of the death penalty.
The bill was gazetted as the Criminal Offences Amendment Act, 2023, Act 1101, published, and made available to the public in August.
Expressing his bewilderment, Bagbin questioned why the President would reject a bill that had already been enacted.
He further challenged the President’s authority to interpret the Constitution and criticized the use of Article 108 as the basis for rejecting the bills.
“The foundation of my disagreement with the President’s position and refusal to assent to the three bills is anchored on four critical aspects of the Constitutional interpretation procedural adherence,” Bagbin asserted.
He emphasized that the President should have sought legal clarification through the courts if there were constitutional concerns.