The Minority Caucus in Parliament staged a walkout on Tuesday after Speaker Alban Bagbin ordered the Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor out of the chamber following a dispute over his claim that diplomatic passports were being sold for amounts ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.
The incident followed Mr Jinapor’s contribution to a discussion on the issuance of diplomatic passports, which are granted on the authority of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The Ranking on the Foreign Affairs Committee alleged that he had evidence of diplomatic passports being sold for between $10,000 and $50,000 and called for an investigation into the alleged practice.
His claims were challenged by the Majority Leader, James Agalga, who asked him to substantiate the allegation or withdraw it.
Speaker Bagbin subsequently directed Damango MP to provide evidence to support his claim or retract the statement however, the MP maintained his position, triggering a tense exchange with the Speaker.
Although Mr Jinapor eventually withdrew the allegation after the prolonged exchange, Mr Bagbin ordered the Marshal of Parliament to escort him out of the chamber, citing his failure to comply promptly with the directive. The Minority caucus then staged a walkout in solidarity with the Damongo MP. Enditem
