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The confirmation of new ministerial and deputy ministerial nominations was challenged in an application filed by South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, but it was denied by the Supreme Court of Ghana.
In his petition, Mr. Dafeamekpor contested the validity of recent ministerial nominations and asked the court to intervene and rule that the president’s power to designate ministers and deputy ministers without the consent of parliament is unconstitutional.
But the Supreme Court rejected Mr. Dafeamekpor’s motion, upholding the President’s constitutional right to nominate people in this manner.
It was revealed during the hearings on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, that the Attorney General’s opposition to a temporary court order and the notice of hearing were among the court documents that the plaintiff’s attorneys had refused to accept.
Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, who is in charge of the bench, stated that Nii Kpappo Addo, the plaintiff’s attorney, gave staff instructions not to take any Supreme Court documents.
The records were nonetheless sent to the plaintiff’s attorney’s staff, which led Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame to claim that this was a disrespectful approach toward the court. However, after verifying that the paperwork were filed correctly, the Supreme Court moved on with the application for a temporary court order.
NDC confronts CJ over alleged prejudice in case scheduling
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) raised concerns about alleged judge prejudice in the Supreme Court’s prioritization of political issues hours before the court’s ruling.
The Chief Justice’s decision to provide priority to Mr. Dafeamekpor’s lawsuit over an earlier case against Mr. Richard Dela Sky’s anti-gay bill was criticized by the party.
The NDC claims that Mr. Sky’s lawsuit, which was submitted two weeks before to Mr. Dafeamekpor’s complaint raising concerns about recent ministerial nominees, contesting the validity of the Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2024, ought to have been considered first.
In spite of this timetable, the court decided to start with Mr. Dafeamekpor’s case.
NDC General Secretary Mr. Fifi Kwetey contended in a statement that the schedule betrays prejudice toward the administration and compromises judicial independence.
Mr. Kwetey said that the Chief Justice was purposefully delaying the anti-gay bill by delaying the hearing on Sky’s case.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
