The Ghana Bar Association(GBA) has waded into the calls for a cap on the number of Supreme Court judges in Ghana.
The GBA believes it is time to put a ceiling on the number of Supreme Court judges appointed to the country’s apex court.
There is an increase from 11 to 14 justices at the Supreme Court of Ghana.
The Public Relations Officer of the GBA, Saviour Kudze, said: “The way our constitution is now if we don’t put a ceiling on it, it will not help us.”
For the limit to be put in place, Mr. Kudze said, “it will depend on the work at hand.”
“Many more cases are going on appeal now, and the Supreme Court happens to be the highest and final appellate court, so for me, going forward, we need to look at it and see if you can have some ceiling.”
“It cannot be left just like that,” he stated on Citi news on October 18.
GBA’s remarks follow concerns by the Minority in Parliament about the number of judges appointed by President Akufo-Addo to the apex court.
According to them, President Akufo-Addo’s appointment of judges to the apex court is unprecedented in the Fourth Republic.
They insisted the increase from 11 to 14 justices tends to drain the state’s resources.
Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, made this known on Tuesday, October 18, during the vetting of newly appointed judges to the Supreme Court.
“If you take the fourth republican period, we have seen a significant number of appointments by the president in the exercise of his powers in Article 144.”
“But note that President Mills contributed about 21.4%, John Dramani Mahama 28.6%, and Nana Akufo-Addo, 78.6% from 11 to 14 Supreme Court judges. We wonder if he is mindful of the public purse.”
The Tamale South legislator also said criticisms against the Judiciary form part of political accountability.
Four judges were vetted after being nominated to the Supreme Court.
The Justices considered were Justice Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu, Justice of the Court of Appeal; Mr Justice George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal; Mr Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu Asiedu, Justice of the Court of Appeal; and Mr Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court.