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Chief Justice (CJ) Gertrude Torkornoo’s plan to appoint five additional Supreme Court justices has been characterized by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as an attempt to weaken democracy in the nation.
The party argues that the action intends to undermine the idea of checks and balances, which is essential to a democracy in operation.
The party claims that President Akufo-Addo is primarily concerned with picking justices who share his narrow interests.
The NDC is requesting a stop to the appointment of new judges to the supreme court, according to Mr. Fifi Kwetey, who was speaking at a press conference held at the party’s headquarters in Accra.
“Nowhere in the Constitution is the Chief Justice named as the one to recommend persons to the President for appointment to the Supreme Court. We wish to state without any equivocation that the Chief Justice’s letter is illegal and of no effect. Her actions have completely turned due process on its head and compromised her independence as the head of the judiciary.
“We are concerned about a worrying pattern which irresistibly suggests that the President is appointing only loyalists of his party to these courts to have control of the judiciary and escape post-regime accountability.
“It is also very clear that the President is packing the courts ahead of the impending presidential and parliamentary elections with judges who are sympathetic to his party. Such deliberate politicization and bastardization of independent institutions of state, including the judiciary, can negatively impact the peace and stability of our democracy.”
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
