ELS: MBN360 NEWS
Parliament’s Appointments Committee has recommended the approval of three nominees for appointment to the Supreme Court. This is in spite of the Minority Caucus boycotting Thursday’s vetting, citing concerns over the process and the compressed timetable.
The nominees are Court of Appeal Justices Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah and Edward Amoako Asante, as well as private legal practitioner Anthony Forson Jnr. Their approval would increase the number of Supreme Justices from the present 18 to 21.
The Minority walked out of the committee sitting on Thursday, August 27, after Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin raised a preliminary objection to the decision to vet the nominees during Parliament’s five-day emergency recall from recess, saying the time given to enable Parliament scrutinize the suitability of the nominees before vetting as too short.
Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that the process had been rushed and that there was no vacant position on the Supreme Court requiring immediate replacement, therefore there was no need to rush the process.
He also questioned the decision to proceed without allowing the public the usual opportunity to submit memoranda on the nominees, arguing that the nominations had only been referred to Parliament at the start of the emergency sitting.
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He however stressed that the objection raised by the Minority was not to question the qualifications or suitability of the three nominees, but on what it described as an inappropriate procedure, a truncation of timeline for scrutinising appointments to the country’s highest court.
Committee Chairman Bernard Ahiafor rejected the objection and ruled that the committee could proceed with the vetting describing the grounds for the objection as “flimsy”, “hollow” and “baseless”, prompting the Minority to boycott the exercise.
With the Chairman’s ruling to continue, the Majority side went ahead to conduct the vetting and recommended the three nominees for approval just hours after the vetting was concluded.
The nominations were made by President John Dramani Mahama in consultation with the Judicial Council, in accordance with the constitutional process for appointments to the Supreme Court. The Council of State subsequently advised the President that it considered the nominees qualified and suitable for appointment.
The committee’s recommendation will now be presented to the full House for consideration.
If Parliament approves the nominations, the three nominees will take the required oaths before assuming office as Supreme Court Justices.
