E-Levy: Minority's Supreme Court case 'dead on arrival' - Afenyo-Markin

Parliament passes E-levy bill amidst Minority walkout

Minority file suit challenging passage of E-levy bill at Supreme Court

Majority caucus insist it had quorum to pass E-levy

Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has

Read full articleindicated the readiness of his side of Parliament to challenge the Minority in court over their suit against the passage of the E-Levy.

According to him, one of the arguments the Majority will be pushing is to implore the Supreme Court to decline jurisdiction over the matter.

In an interview with Accra-based Joy FM, the Effutu Member of Parliament contended that the Minority should exhaust all internal mechanisms within Parliament in addressing their concern over quorum before taking any other action.

Afenyo-Markin believes the Minority are afraid of arguing their case out in Parliament.

“We will impress on the Supreme Court to decline jurisdiction in a sense that they are Members of Parliament. This is not Justice Abdullai.

“These are Members of Parliament who know one of their bona fides if they see a supposed illegality in Parliament is to make an application invoking the rules of Parliament for that supposed illegality to be reversed.

“You don’t write to the Supreme Court. So first of all, come to Parliament. They are afraid to come and argue their case. If you think there is an error, first of all, come.

“You have every tool available. You don’t write to Supreme Court. So what they are doing is wrongly invoking the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. So I am telling you that that case is dead on arrival in the first place,” he explained.

Parliament on March 29 passed the E-Levy bill amidst a Minority walkout.

At a press conference addressed by its leader, Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority justified the walkout stating that it did not want to give the Majority a quorum for decision making.

Haruna Iddrisu together with Mahama Ayariga and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa have since filed a suit at the Supreme Court challenging the passage of the bill.

It amongst several reliefs wants the apex court to declare its passage a nullity.