The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticized the Chief Justice’s decision to recommend judges for nomination to the Supreme Court, calling the move unconstitutional.
Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Torkornoo has proposed five judges to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for nomination to the Supreme Court to handle the increasing volume of cases.
At a press conference in Accra, NDC General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey stated that the constitution does not authorize the Chief Justice to recommend individuals to the President for Supreme Court appointments. He asserted that the Chief Justice’s letter to President Akufo-Addo lacks constitutional backing and is therefore invalid.
“Nowhere in the constitution is the Chief Justice named as the one to recommend persons to the President for appointment to the Supreme Court. We wish to state, without any equivocation, that the Chief Justice’s letter is illegal and of no effect. Her actions have completely turned due process on its head and compromised her independence as the head of the judicial system. We are concerned about a worrying pattern that suggests the President is only appointing loyal members of his party to this court to control the judiciary and evade post-regime accountability,” Kwetey stated.
The judges recommended for nomination to the Supreme Court include Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botchwey, who presided over the ambulance case involving Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, along with Justice Cyra Pamela Koranteng, Justice Angelina Mensah Homiah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and Justice Eric Kyei Baffour.