Merbank Saga: Speaker�s Decision Inconsistent - Financial Analyst

A financial analyst, Mr. Sydney Casley- Hayford has described the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Doe Adjaho�s decision to dismiss the motion filed by members of the Minority demanding an inquiry into the sale of Merchant Bank to Fortiz Equity Fund as inconsistent. According him, such decisions �deteriorate the quality of parliamentary decisions and throw up partisan accusations.� Rt. Hon. Adjaho dismissed a motion by the Member of Parliament for Bimbilla for a parliamentary investigation into the sale of Merchant Bank to Fortiz Equity. The Speaker dismissed the motion on grounds that the matter is pending before the law court and any investigation will prejudice the case before the Court of Appeal. But speaking on Citi Fm�s news analysis programme, The Big Issue, Mr. Casley-Hayford stated that Hon Speaker�s decision was not consistent with the earlier decisions he had taken on similar cases. He added: �In similar circumstances the speaker of parliament when he was the then deputy speaker of parliament had ruled the other way in his opinion. So if he has judged this sale on his opinion, then he is taking a view of a situation now as different from a view that he took previously on another issue�. In his opinion, Rt. Hon. Doe Adjaho in delivering the ruling on the matter only read certain sections of the parliamentary guide that favoured his ruling. �I went back to read what the Hon. Doe Adjaho used as his basis for the decision, he refused to read the portion that will allow the exclusion of the rule on the case and rather read paragraph C because it favoured the decision he made.� �It is disingenuous that you will quote only a part of the guide and leave the other parts that will probably go against your view,� Mr. Casley -Hayford further lamented.