The Minority Caucus in Parliament staged a walkout on Tuesday, November 3, following a confrontation between Speaker Alban Bagbin and the Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, over allegations of the sale of diplomatic passports.
The incident occurred during parliamentary proceedings on the issuance of diplomatic passports, which are granted on the authority of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Mr Jinapor alleged that he had evidence indicating that diplomatic passports were being sold for between $10,000 and $50,000, and called for an investigation into the alleged practice.
However, the Majority Leader, James Agalga, challenged him to substantiate the allegation or withdraw the statement.
Speaker Bagbin subsequently directed the Damongo MP to provide evidence to support his claim or retract it.
Mr Jinapor maintained his position, leading to a heated exchange with the Speaker. Although he eventually withdrew the allegation, 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 subsequently staged a walkout in solidarity with the Damongo MP.
There was no immediate indication as to whether the allegations of the sale of diplomatic passports would be referred for further investigation.
