The Minority in Parliament has accused President Akufo-Addo of exploiting the constitution to overstaff the Supreme Court.
Recently, following the retirement of some judges, President Akufo-Addo nominated three new individuals to join the Supreme Court.
These nominees are Justice Henry Kwofi, Justice Yaw Asare Darko, and Justice Adjei Frimpong, all of whom currently serve as Justices of the Court of Appeal. If confirmed, President Akufo-Addo will have appointed 18 Supreme Court judges, which will be the highest number of judges appointed by any president in Ghana’s history.
On Friday, November 10, during a parliamentary session, the South Dayi MP, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor expressed his disappointment about the appointments since there are no vacancies at the Supreme Court to be filled.
According to him, the increase in the number of judges is not necessary since the court typically has an average of five or seven judges on a panel.
According to a recent report, three out of the 15 Supreme Court judges have retired this year, leaving 12 to actively serve on the court.
“As the full panel of the court is nine, there are no current vacancies. However, there is a constitutional gap that allows the President to increase the number of judges serving at the Supreme Court without any cap.
Therefore, the President has increased the number of judges from 12 to 15, which has been criticized by some, including South Dayi MP, who claims that the President is abusing the laws.
However, the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has defended the President’s decision, stating that the appointment is legal and that the South Dayi MP should provide a legal basis for his claims.
Nonetheless, he commended the President for filling the vacancy at the Supreme Court.
