President Akufo-Addo has said in the case of appointments to the Supreme Court, because of its unique position in the judicial structure, there are additional requirements of the consultation of the Council of State and the approval of Parliament.
According to him, the overwhelming number of cases of justices-designate to the Supreme Court, that approval has been given on a bi-partisan basis, you can count on the fingers of a hand the number of justices-designate whose approval met less than unanimous consent.
Addressing members of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) at their 2023 annual conference held at the new examination centre (NEC), University of Cape Coast, Central Region, under the theme; “Ensuring High Standards and Integrity in Public Life – The Role of the Legal Profession,” President Akufo-Addo said the former President’s comment showed that he lacks basic understanding of the country’s laws governing appointments to high offices in the country including those to the bench.
“I have gone into this matter in some detail because of a new concept that has been recently introduced into our public discourse by no less a public figure than the 4th President of the 4th Republic, the perennial NDC presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, who has told the world that I have packed the courts with so-called “NPP judges”, and that one of the key purposes of a putative NDC victory in 2024 will be to enable him balance the courts with so-called “NDC judges” Akufo-Addo added.
“Not only are these concepts of “NPP” and “NDC” judges new in our public discourse, they are also extremely dangerous, and represent the most brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary by any allegedly responsible politician of the 4th Republic.”
“They provide another reason, if more were needed, why right-thinking citizens should ensure the defeat in 2024 of the man whom the first Special Prosecutor identified as Government Official No.1 in the still unresolved Airbus Bribery Scandal” the President further stressed.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Kofi Atakora
