Majority Leader James Agalga has described the Minority Caucus’s demand for a parliamentary recall over the nation’s rising narcotics cases and arrests as premature, arguing that an emergency legislative probe risks interfering with active law enforcement operations.
The statement follows a formal petition submitted yesterday by the Minority in Parliament, requesting Speaker Alban Bagbin to urgently reconvene the House to address the surge in drug-related offenses and evaluate the state of national security. In response to the petition, Speaker Bagbin officially recalled Parliament today, Thursday, September 24, directing Members to sit on Tuesday, September 29.
Addressing the recall, Agalga cautioned against parliamentary overreach while ongoing criminal investigations are actively being conducted by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) and collaborating security agencies.
”Parliament is not a criminal investigative body,” Agalga noted, emphasizing the constitutional boundaries governing the legislature’s role. “While Parliament holds a vital oversight duty to ensure that state institutions carry out their duties transparently and effectively, it cannot run parallel investigations into active criminal matters. Conducting a double investigation into the same ongoing cases risks undermining the integrity of evidence and compromising law enforcement efforts.”
The Majority Leader maintained that while the executive branch remains committed to parliamentary accountability, legislative intervention must be timed appropriately so as not to derail active prosecutions or prejudice court proceedings.
Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
