04 Nov Cocaine seizures: Majority Leader dares Minority to file review motion
The Majority Leader, James Agalga, has challenged the Minority Caucus to file a review motion against the Speaker’s decision to reject a bi-partisan parliamentary probe into recent cocaine seizures, declaring that the Majority is ready to debate the matter if the motion is admitted.
He said the government and the Majority Caucus had nothing to hide.
He cautioned, however, that Parliament did not have the mandate to conduct parallel investigations, because some of the seizures cited by the Minority were already under active criminal investigation by the relevant state security agencies.
“Parliament performs oversight over all agencies of state, including the security agencies, but we do not have the power to conduct criminal investigations or prosecute,” he said.
Ready for accountability
At the Leaders’ media briefing in Parliament yesterday, Mr Agalga said: “We are not running away from accountability and so if a motion has met the requirements and is admitted by the Speaker in accordance with our Standing Orders, we shall take those motions and go through the procedures.
“Where there is merit, we will not run away, and we will even support them to ensure that the appropriate parliamentary tools are deployed for scrutiny.”
The briefing, ahead of the Third Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament, also allowed the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, to outline the business the House will transact.
Minority’s case
Mr Afenyo-Markin said the Minority had filed a review motion challenging the Speaker’s ruling, arguing that ongoing criminal investigations should not prevent the House from scrutinising possible institutional and security failures.
He said the move was not meant to undermine the Speaker but to clarify Parliament’s constitutional responsibility to hold public institutions accountable.
He cited repeated seizures abroad, including about 3.9 tonnes of cocaine concealed in plastic waste reportedly shipped from Ghana in September 2026.
These, he said, raised serious questions about port security, cargo inspection, customs controls and intelligence coordination.
“A criminal court determines whether an accused person has committed an offence, whereas Parliament examines whether public institutions have discharged their responsibilities,” he said.
He insisted that prosecuting individuals could not absolve the government and public institutions of the responsibility to account for weaknesses in security systems.
Where serious negligence was established, he added, those responsible should face appropriate administrative consequences.
Not a failure
Mr Agalga rejected the suggestion that the seizures were evidence of the government’s failure, arguing that some operations demonstrated the effectiveness of intelligence-led interventions by Ghanaian security agencies.
Citing the seizure at Pedu Junction by Ghana’s own security officers, he said: “I thought we should have been showering praises on the security agencies of this country because the amount of cocaine that was seized at Pedu Junction is colossal and it has come as a result of intelligence-led operations.”
Past cases
He said similar and even more significant incidents had occurred under the previous administration. He recalled 10.6 kg of heroin seized at the Accra International Airport in 2017 and 56 kg of cocaine at Ghana Post in 2018.
He also referred to 1.1 tonnes of cocaine seized in Belgium in 2023, which he said involved a Ghanaian exporter, and other interceptions at the then-Kotoka International Airport and the DHL depot in 2024.
Stop politicisation
The Majority Leader said the history of drug trafficking made it inappropriate to turn the issue into a partisan contest, urging the Minority to bring its concerns through a formal motion.
“My brother, Minority Leader, we are ready for you. Bring it on, and the good people of this country will know whose track record is better,” he said.
He said the Majority would not oppose motions simply because they came from the Minority, provided they met the Standing Orders and were admitted by the Speaker.
The Bulsa North MP recalled that the House had previously been cautioned against straying into criminal investigations, citing the inquiry into the leaked tape involving the former Inspector-General of Police.
He also referred to the Ford Expedition case, in which Parliament avoided parallel investigations while law enforcement agencies were actively investigating.
Source: Graphic.com
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