The Minority in Parliament has called for the postponement of the vetting process for three Supreme Court nominees, arguing that there is no immediate vacancy on the bench that would warrant expediting the procedure.
Addressing the media before and dueing the vetting scheduled for Thursday, August 27, Leader of the Caucus Alexander Afenyo-Markin stated that the Supreme Court is currently functioning with its full roster of justices and continues to hear cases and issue judgments as necessary.
Afenyo-Markin questioned the necessity of the nominations, emphasising that the three nominees are being put forward as additional justices rather than to fill any existing vacancies immediately.
“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 include 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 asserted that Parliament has ample time to vet the nominees, proposing that the relevant committee could carry out the vetting in September and present its report for consideration when the House reconvenes in October.
Afenyo-Markin also dismissed claims that the ongoing judicial vacation has created an emergency, maintaining that the Supreme Court continues to convene and address matters that require immediate attention.
Afenyo-Markin further noted 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.
