The Minority in Parliament has called on President John Dramani Mahama to withhold his assent to the recently passed Tribunals Bill, warning that the legislation could have serious consequences for Ghana’s justice system.
Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee and MP for Asante Akim Central, said the President has a chance to protect his legacy by refusing to sign the bill into law.
Mr Anyimadu-Antwi disclosed that the Minority will soon issue a statement detailing what it believes are the weaknesses of the bill before formally appealing to the President.
“We would come out with a press release telling Ghanaians the wrong things in the bill. And then we would also ask President Mahama, whom we all think should leave a good legacy, not to sign this bill because it’s no good for Ghana,” he said.
Mr Anyimadu-Antwi argued that the legislation seeks to reintroduce a tribunal system that many Ghanaians link to alleged human rights abuses during the AFRC and PNDC administrations.
He also questioned the reasons given by the government for introducing the bill. According to him, reducing the backlog of court cases and addressing illegal mining do not justify creating a new tribunal structure.
The lawmaker maintained that the Chief Justice already has the constitutional authority to establish specialised courts to handle particular categories of cases, making the proposed tribunals unnecessary.
He further expressed concern over changes made to the qualifications required for some tribunal panel members during Parliament’s consideration of the bill.
He claimed the educational standards for certain appointments had been lowered.
Mr Anyimadu-Antwi also insisted that some provisions of the bill are unconstitutional.
He warned that if President Mahama signs the legislation into law, the Minority would consider challenging it in court.
Parliament approved the Tribunals Bill despite strong objections from the Minority, which argued that it could create uncertainty within Ghana’s judicial system.
The Majority, however, defended the legislation, saying it strengthens the legal framework for administering justice while addressing concerns raised during the parliamentary process.
