The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has urged legal counsels to parliaments across Africa to uphold ethical standards, accountability and integrity to strengthen parliamentary oversight and democratic governance.
He said impartiality in providing legal advice was essential to building public confidence in the legislature, promoting constitutional governance and enhancing democratic legitimacy.
Mr Bagbin made the call in a speech read on his behalf by the Clerk to Parliament, Reverend Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, at the opening of the five-day 8th Africa Colloquium of Legal Counsel to Parliaments in Accra yesterday.
The colloquium, held on the theme, “Ethics, Integrity and Legal Accountability,” brought together parliamentary legal counsel from across Africa to share experiences and strengthen their capacity to provide sound and professional legal advice.
Mr Bagbin warned that a lack of impartiality among parliamentary legal counsel could undermine public confidence in the legislature and result in unclear legislation.
“Every policy intended to curb exploitation, every fiscal regime designed to manage our national resources and every measure enacted to protect the vulnerable, must pass through the discipline of your intelligence and the fidelity of your judgment,” he said.
He urged legal counsel to recognise their responsibility to Parliament, the Constitution and the people, adding that the legitimacy of their legal opinions depended on the legality of the texts they produced, professional defensibility, constitutional soundness and institutional responsibility.
He called for a common African ethical framework for parliamentary legal services, with minimum standards on conflicts of interest, confidentiality, professional independence and protection from improper influence.
He also advocated peer review, quality assurance, the recording of significant dissenting legal opinions, plain-language legislative drafting and guidelines on the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI).
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, said the political nature of parliamentary work sometimes made it difficult for technocrats and specialists, including legal counsel, to perform their duties.
He stressed, however, that legislative work, particularly the drafting of bills, must not become an extension of partisan politics.
Dr Ayine urged parliamentary legal counsel across Africa to develop a common protocol on AI use, noting that legislatures worldwide were developing ethical frameworks and human oversight mechanisms to guide its application.
The Majority Leader, Mr James Agalga, said Parliament needed legal counsel capable of subjecting legislation to rigorous technical scrutiny, identifying constitutional weaknesses and improving legislative language to withstand judicial scrutiny.
He said parliamentary legal counsel must be protected from intimidation, harassment and discrimination, as well as professional burnout.
Mr Agalga said the government was committed to advocating improved conditions of service, modern research facilities, competitive remuneration and sustained opportunities for legal education and professional development.
The Minority Leader, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, cautioned that Parliament’s dependence on the Executive for legal opinions could undermine its constitutional ability to scrutinise and restrain executive power.
“Parliamentary counsel have an important responsibility to provide guidance that ensures numerical majorities do not extinguish democratic freedoms,” he said.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
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