The Petroleum Commission’s acting chief executive officer, Ms. Victoria Emeafa Hardcastle, has been accused of egregious contempt of parliament by the Minority Caucus of Parliament for her actions against Frank Annoh-Dompreh.
Citing her apparent attempt to subvert the Minority Chief Whip’s authority and her use of what it described as “unconscionable language” against a senior Member of Parliament, the Caucus is demanding severe consequences.
The alleged incident took place on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, when Ms. Hardcastle allegedly made derogatory remarks about Frank Annoh-Dompreh while he was performing his duties as a member of parliament.
According to reports, Ms. Hardcastle called Annoh-Dompreh’s actions prior to Dr. Edward Omane Boamah “silly.”
After Annoh-Dompreh brought up the issue on the Parliamentary floor, representatives of both parties came together for a moment of bipartisan togetherness.
It was said that Ms. Hardcastle’s behavior was an obvious disrespectful gesture toward the Legislature.
The historic case of K. T. Hammond v. William Ampem-Darko, which established that no one, regardless of status, has the right to verbally or physically assault a Member of Parliament for actions taken while performing their duties, was cited by the Minority Caucus in a statement released on January 29.
The Caucus emphasized that Parliament must continue to uphold its longstanding commitment to defending the rights and dignity of its members.
The Minority Caucus listed particular steps they think are required to protect Parliament’s integrity and discourage similar behavior in the future.
The minority caucus are demanding that “appropriate sanctions under our Standing Orders, including fines, imprisonment, restriction from parliamentary precincts, and mandatory public apology, will be applied with appropriate severity to reflect the gravity of this offence.”
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Joseph Asare
