The Minority in Parliament has demanded the deferment of the vetting of three Supreme Court nominees, arguing that there is no urgent vacancy on the bench to justify the process being rushed.
Speaking ahead of the vetting on Thursday, August 27, Leader of the Cacus Alexander Afenyo-Markin said the Supreme Court is currently operating with its full complement of justices and continues to hear cases and deliver judgments where necessary.
Afenyo-Markin questioned the urgency behind the nominations, noting that the three nominees are being proposed as additional justices rather than to immediately fill existing vacancies.
“If there is no vacancy to fill, there is certainly no emergency compelling anyone to fill it inside three days. There is no fire here.”
The three nominees for the Supreme Court are Justice Sophia Bernasko-Essah, a Justice of the Court of Appeal; Justice Edward Amoako Asante, a Court of Appeal Justice and former President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice; and private legal practitioner Anthony Forson Jr, a former President of the Ghana Bar Association.
He argued that Parliament has sufficient time to vet the nominees, suggesting that the relevant committee could conduct the exercise in September and submit its report for consideration when the House resumes in October.
Afenyo-Markin also rejected suggestions that the ongoing judicial vacation had created an emergency, insisting that the Supreme Court continues to sit and determine matters that require urgent attention.
The Minority Leader said the caucus would, however, support the prompt vetting of two ministerial nominees Bawku Central MP Mahama Ayariga and Korle Klottey MP Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings.
The two nominees are awaiting vetting for the portfolios of Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and Minister for Environment, Science and Technology respectively.
Afenyo-Markin maintained that the Minority would not support what he described as an unnecessary rush to approve the three nominees, insisting that Parliament can complete the process without compromising its scrutiny responsibilities.
