Vacant seats hearing: Recuse yourself – Bagbin’s lawyer tells Justice Gaewu
Counsel for the Speaker of Parliament, Thaddeus Sory, on Wednesday, October 30, formally requested that Supreme Court Justice Yao Gaewu recuse himself from an ongoing case involving the Speaker’s ruling to vacate four parliamentary seats.
Sory cited allegations of Justice Gaewu’s prior association with the New Patriotic Party (NPP), raising concerns about potential bias.
The call for recusal emerged during heated arguments in court following Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame’s challenge against portions of the Speaker’s affidavit, specifically paragraphs 21 and 49, which he described as “scandalous.”
These paragraphs reportedly address the political implications of the Speaker’s decision to declare the seats vacant, and the Attorney General argued that they could undermine the case’s legal integrity.
In an additional turn of events, Joe Ghartey, representing Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, attempted to raise a preliminary comment on the case.
However, the court, led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, reproached Ghartey for allowing a junior lawyer to lead the introductory remarks.
The Chief Justice emphasized the importance of courtroom decorum and the perceived disrespect shown by delegating a critical component of the defence’s argument to a junior associate, leading to Ghartey’s comment being disregarded.
The case, which has drawn significant attention due to its implications on parliamentary representation and judicial oversight, is seen as a test of the balance of power between Ghana’s legislative and judicial branches.
The Supreme Court’s panel, headed by Chief Justice Torkonoo, is expected to make a ruling on the recusal motion and other key arguments raised in the proceedings later today.
