Farmer sues Bagbin, Attorney General over anti-LGBTQ+ bill

A private citizen, Paul Boama Sefa has dragged the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin and the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, to court over the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.

Mr. Sefa, a farmer in the Ashanti Region in his writ sighted by the media alleges that the Speaker and the Attorney General have violated the constitution in the handling of the Proper Sexual Human Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill.

He argued that, Parliament did not conduct a fiscal impact analysis of the Bill given its financial implication.

According to the plaintiff, provisions of section 100(1) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2026 (Act 921), which requires that the Bill shall be accompanied by a fiscal impact analysis when the Bill was first laid in Parliament, was not complied with and has still not been complied with.

This statutory breach, he insists forms plans by the Speaker to violate the laws of the country.

Paul Sefa further argues that the failure of the Speaker of Parliament to exercise the provisions of the law was intentional given his firm determination to allow the Bill to go through the legislative process despite being fully aware of the statutory conditions precedent for laying the Bill.

In his relief, he is among other things seeking an order directed at the Speaker, his deputies, his agents, assigns and privies from proceeding with any processes related to the Bill until the statutory provisions of section 100(1) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2026 (921) are complied with.

Also, an order directing the Speaker, his deputies, his agents and privies to ensure compliance with section 100(1) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) before any further steps are taken in respect of the Bill.

He wants a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further breaches of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) plus any other relief the court may deem fit.

Source: citinewsroom