The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has cautioned the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem Central, Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, against misinterpreting parliamentary rules on freedom of speech.
The Speaker’s comments follow the lawmaker’s claim that a lawmaker can be gagged by a colleague while speaking in parliament.
During proceedings ahead of the approval of the Chief Justice nominee, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, on Thursday, November 13, 2025, in Parliament, Mr. Anyimadu Antwi had referenced Article 115 of the 1992 Constitution, suggesting that his comments couldn’t be questioned. But the Speaker countered that MPs could indeed question his statements, which the MP then interpreted this to mean he could be “gagged”.
Article 115 of the Constitution reads: “Article 115, there shall be freedom of speech, debate and proceedings in Parliament, and that freedom shall not be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament.”
The Speaker clarified that Article 115 doesn’t give MPs a free pass to say whatever they want without being questioned, explaining that colleague MPs can still question or challenge a statement made in Parliament.
When the Asante Akyem lawmaker quoted Article 115, he argued that the approval of the Chief Justice nominee couldn’t proceed due to pending court matters. The Speaker, Alban Bagbin, interjected, explaining that while Article 115 protects lawmakers’ statements, only the Speaker and fellow MPs can challenge them during proceedings in the House.
“So as I preside here, I can question your freedom of speech applying the rules but I cannot go ouit of Parliament to question it or go to court to question it. But here is session, that freedom is open to question or to impeachment. The rules are clear even in our standing orders. Don’t mislead the public,” he stated firmly.
The MP argued that one arm of government is unduly influencing another, which he said undermines the nation’s democracy.
He believes the Executive is controlling the Judiciary, citing the appointment of a new Chief Justice while a related case is still pending in court.
“Mr. Speaker, the point I’m making is that, on our side, we believe that one arm of government is controlling another arm of government, and in this case, the Executive is controlling the judiciary.
“By this act, the act of where there is the head of judiciary, that judiciary is removed and that matter has not been exhausted and these matters are pending before various courts,” Anyimadu Antwi stated.
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