The Supreme Court has stayed the execution of a Court of Appeal judgment ordering the promotion of 40 police officers who sued the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, over their exclusion from a promotion programme.
The order suspends the implementation of the Court of Appeal’s decision pending the determination of a further appeal before the Supreme Court.
The dispute dates back to a 2021 amnesty programme introduced by the Police Management Board, which made officers enlisted between December 2008 and 2020 and holding first degrees eligible for promotion.
The 40 officers, who held the rank of Chief Inspector, argued that they were unfairly excluded from the programme while some of their junior colleagues benefited from the arrangement.
They were seeking promotion to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
The officers also cited promotions granted to other personnel, including those from Corporal to Sergeant, Sergeant to Inspector, and Inspector to Chief Inspector, as examples of what they considered unequal treatment.
Dissatisfied with their exclusion, they sued the IGP and the Police Management Board at the High Court in Kumasi, seeking an order compelling the police authorities to promote them.
The High Court dismissed their case, prompting them to appeal the decision.
The Court of Appeal subsequently overturned the High Court’s ruling and directed the police authorities to effect the promotions.
However, the Supreme Court’s latest order means the Court of Appeal’s judgment will not be implemented while the legal challenge remains pending.
