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Franklin Cudjoe, the founding president and chief executive officer of IMANI Africa, has criticized the Supreme Court’s recent decision over four parliamentary seats, calling it hypocritical and unfair.
While his own SALL case was dismissed and sent to the High Court, where it was finally decided that the court lacked jurisdiction, Mr. Cudjoe questioned in a Facebook post the court’s quick decision to entertain an ex-parte application addressing the seats.
We were dismissed by the Supreme Court and sent to the High Court to ‘try our luck’, Cudjoe stated.
“For four years, we have been rendered orphans and ostracised by the system, and yet we paid taxes, although we saw no development,” Mr Cudjoe stated.
“What was so special about the 4 constituencies whose MPs had abandoned in their hearts that the Supreme Court can even entertain the hearing of an ex-parte motion procured cheaply at the speed of light and rule on that?” he questioned.
“This is just precocious judicial terrorism aided by legal plunder. Sad.”
Following Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin’s attempt to overturn an earlier judgment that prevented him from declaring the four seats vacant, the Supreme Court rendered its ruling.
Not as much attention was paid to Franklin Cudjoe’s SALL lawsuit, which sought to defend the rights of citizens who were denied the opportunity to vote.
He took issue with the court’s emphasis on the MPs’ pay and benefits.
Read the full post below:
“I am so shocked at the level of hypocrisy and double standards displayed by the Supreme Court today. The Chief Justice was so invested in the representation of constituents whose pampered MPs had decided to abandon them for other parties after representing for them for nearly four years.
And yet, when my SALL people were deliberately disenfranchised and we ran to the same Supreme Court for protection, it did not offer this level of comfort it so lavishly and without shame displayed today towards other constituencies.
We had gone to the Supreme Court to expeditiously protect our rights that had been violated and had the highest risk of being violated for the duration of the existing Parliament.
The Supreme Court discarded us and despatched us to the High Court to ‘ try our luck’.
So we went to the High Court to start our SALL case.
Guess what? After 3 years of making our case, the High Court ruled a few months ago that it had no jurisdiction to hear our case.
For four years, we have been rendered orphans and ostracised by the system, and yet we paid taxes, although we saw no development.
We are appealing to the Superior Court. However, with today’s contrived, shambolic display of ‘politically bias’ support for some Ghanaians, I am not sure we will get to be heard until forever.
What was so special about the 4 constituencies whose MPs had abandoned in their hearts that the Supreme Court can even entertain the hearing of an ex-parte motion procured cheaply at the speed of light and rule on that? That the delinquent MPs salaries and emoluments will be affected? Really??
Why didn’t the Supreme Court rely on the same principle it applied against SALL to lawyers of the Majority Leader? This is just precocious judicial terrorism aided by legal plunder. Sad.”- Franklin Cudjoe
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
