Gov’t Sued Over US Military Agreement

The Ashanti Regional Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Brogya Genfi has filed a suit at the Supreme Court challenging the ratification of the Ghana-US defence military deal by Parliament.

On Friday, March 23, a one-sided parliament ratified the 2018 controversial defence cooperation agreement between Ghana and the US.

The deal was after after the Minority side stormed out of the Law Chamber Friday evening, leaving the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs to rubberstamp the pact late in the night before Parliament rose for recess.

The agreement was ratified despite massive public protest against the deal which many including the largest opposition NDC described as “dangerous” and a sale of Ghana’s sovereignty.

The Government of Ghana, according to a leaked document, has approved the agreement with the US to set up a military base in Ghana and also allow unrestricted access to a host of facilities and wide-ranging tax exemptions to the United States Military—a claim the government of Ghana and the US denied.

In the application filed at the Supreme Court, Mr Genfi is seeking 10 reliefs from the Supreme Court including a declaration that the agreement was null and void as the terms and conditions in the agreement to him was not in Ghana’s interest.

He is also seeking “A declaration that the Minister of Defence acted in contravention of articles 58 (1), 75 and 93 (2) of the 1992 Constitution when he laid or caused to be laid before Parliament an unexecuted draft of the supposed defence cooperation agreement for ratification under Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution.”

Source: Starrfmonline