This week in Parliament - 10 February 2014

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew-Appiah Opong, is scheduled to appear before Parliament on Friday to brief the House on the steps being taken to enforce the judgements in two cases bordering on the retrieval of certain amounts.

The cases are Martin Amidu versus Attorney-General, Isofoton and ANR and Martin Amidu versus Attorney-General, Waterville and ANR.

The Majority Leader, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, stated this when he presented the business statement before the House on Friday, last week.

He stated that the Member of Parliament for Bekwai, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, had filed a question on the issue and that made it necessary for the Attorney-General to appear before the House to state what steps were being taken to retrieve the amounts.

The Supreme Court, on June 14, 2013,  directed Waterville Holdings to refund all money paid to it by the Ghana Government on the premise that it had no valid and constitutional contractual agreement with the government.

Waterville is expected to refund 25 million euros it received from the government following the court’s unanimous judgement that the said contract it entered into with the government for stadia construction for CAN 2008 was unconstitutional because it had contravened Article 181 (5) of the 1992 Constitution which required such contracts to go to Parliament for approval.

In another judgement, the court, on June 21, 2013, ordered Isofoton S.A. to refund the cedi equivalent of $325,472 it received from the government in March 2011.

Dr Kunbuor informed the House that the Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, would appear before the House  tomorrow to state when electricity from the national grid would be extended to Bouya in the Effiduase Constituency.

The Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, would also appear to state when the Sunyani Airport would be rehabilitated.

He said the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr  Akwasi Oppong-Fosu, would also appear to tell members what plans the ministry had towards the resolution of a boundary dispute between the Ga South Municipal Assembly and the Awutu Senya East Assembly.

 Mr Kunbour said Mr Oppong-Fosu, he said, would also brief the House on how soon the Sekyere East District would be upgraded to the status of a municipal assembly.

Dr Kunbuor said on Thursday, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Kofi Humado, would tell the House the number of tractors and accessories imported to Ghana from India in 2008 and when the Asantekwaa Irrigation Project in the Kintampo North Constituency would be completed.

According to him, the proposed formula for the distribution of the National Health Insurance Fund and the District Assemblies Common Fund for 2014 will  be presented.

The Anti-Money Laundering (Amendment) and the Trademarks (Amendment) bills would be taken through the consideration stage.