Di decision by Ghana chief Justice to recommend to di president say make im appoint more judges to di Supreme Court, don dey cause wahala.

Justice Gertrude Torkornoo don write to di president say make im appoint five judges of di appeals court to di Supreme Court.

Dis judges na Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, Cyra Pamela Koranteng, Eric Kyei Baffour, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and Angelina Mensah Homiah, all of dem na justice of di appeal court.

Alreadi Ghana get fifteen Supreme Court judges, wia di five new judges go make di total number twenty.

Meanwhile di kontri constitution don tok say di minimum number of Supreme Court judges gatz be nine including di chief justice, per article 128 (1).

Na so if di chief justice wan make di minimum number rise to twenty, di kontri gatz to amend di constitution.

Inside one letter di chief justice write to di president, im tok say make di president appoint di five pipo im recommend sake of dem dey qualified for di Supreme Court wia di workload for di court don plenti.

But pipo don blast di chief justice say im no get di right to recommend to di president who im wan make e appoint for di apex court.

Wetin di law dey tok be say di judicial service gatz to recommend di candidates to di president afta dem consult wit odas like di Ghana Bar Association and di office of di attorney general.

Afta di judicial council don recommend pipo to di president wit advice from di council of state, now go appoint di judges.

But for dis case, di chief justice don write to di president on im own wia she suggest di pipo im wan make di president appoint.

Di judicial council don reject di chief justice im nomination.

Di council tok say dem get concerns about di timing of di nomination wia dem tok say im fit to “reinforce di perception say di president don dey pack di courts".

Why di chief justice wan make di president appoint new judges to di Supreme Court

Justice Gertrude Torkornoo tok say di Supreme Court get backlog of cases.

For di 2022/23 legal year, di Supreme Court don conclude 344 out of 939 cases, wia 595 odas still dey pending.

According to di CJ, dis backlog plenti pass di cases of di previous year wia get 414 pending cases for dat year.

Justice Torkornoo tok di president for im letter say “di high volume of cases don force di justices to sit on multiple panels to deal wit di cases but di court still get backlog.”

She also add say di situation make am difficult for “di judges to get time for research, dis means di judges dey take long time to work on dia decisions.”

Di CJ explain more say as dem build about 100 new courts throughout di kontri for di year 2022, wia also increase di workload on top di Supreme Court.

Di Attorney General don back di decision by di chief justice to recommend di five justices for di Supreme Court by di CJ.

According to Godfred Dame, dis go “minimize delays, reduce unnecessary expenses and contribute to di overall efficient administration of di apex court.”

Di Ghana bar association wey be one of di bodis to recommend pipo for di bench tok say di chief justice don engage in “irregularity” in di way im write to di president.

Tok tok pesin for di Ghana Bar Association Saviour Kudze tok say wetin di CJ do no dey proper.

“I tink say dis na simple mistake by di chief justice. Dis tins don dey happun sometimes, but di right procedure be say make di judicial service, di bar association and di attorney general office come togeda to deliberate on di nominees and present di final list to di judicial council for onward transmission to di president.”

Afta di judicial council submit di list to di president, im now go decide if im go appoint evribodi on top dat list or im go reject di list.

Na so if di president no approve of di nominees by di judicial council, im gatz to come back to di judicial council to start di process all ova to nominate new pipo.

Opposition party and CSOs raise concern about di CJ decision to recommend 5 judges

Di opposition national Democratic Congress (NDC) don tok say di CJ action be “grand scheme to pack di courts wit judge wey dey sympathetic to di governing party di New Patriotic Party (NPP).”

Di NDC presidential candidate John Mahama tok say wetin di CJ don do dey rare.

“I neva fit understand why di CJ be di one wey dey recommend di justice for di Supreme Court. Even for capping di number of Supreme Court judges, di constitutional review committee tok say make we cap di number for Supreme Court judges at 15.”

John Mahama add say im go resurrect di constitutional review process if im become president to determine wetin di pipo of Ghana tink about di capping of Supreme Court judges.

For one news conference, general secretary of di opposition NDC tok say wetin di CJ do dey illegal.

“We dey shocked by di way di CJ dey consciously side-step due process and di constitution to please di president and help am to prosecute im unholy agenda to pack di Supreme Court,” Fiifi Kwetey tok for dat press conference.

Im also add say dem dey “worried about di pattern wey dey suggest say di president dey appoint pipo wey dey loyal to im party to di court so say im go get control of di judiciary and escape post-regime accountability.”

“E dey also clear say di president dey pack di courts ahead of di presidential and parliamentary election wit judges wey dey loyal to im party.”

For one ogbonge private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu, di timing for dis recommendation for appointment of Supreme Court judges dey bad.

“Di timing dey bad, wia di procedure also dey questionable. Dis neva be about di competence of di judges - na di timing wey dey bad,” im tok.

Im also tok say di CJ fail to follow due process for dis mata.

Some ogbonge law professors begin dey call for di removal of di chief justice ova wetin im do.

One of dem wey Prof Stephen Kwaku Asare write for Facebook say “di quality of justice don dey depend on di quality more dan di quantity.”

“Di kontri get 445 judges including 170 superior court judges - dem dey enough to deliver fair and speedy justice.”

Prof Asare add say “di chief justice gatz to go sake of im unlawful interference wit di appointment process. She gatz dey removed.”

Who be di five judges wey di CJ dey push for dia appointment to di SC

Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe be one of di five judges.

Im currently be di judge wey dey prosecute one opposition lawmaker ova wetin dem tok say dey cause financial loss to di state in di acquisition of some ambulances at di time im be deputy finance minister under di former goment between 2014 and 2016.

Dis case na one of di big political cases wey don dey happun now, wia justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe don dey handle.

Pipo tok say im get knowledge for criminal proceedings wia im dey firm.

Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe bin join di bench for 2013.

Im currently be Court of Appeal judge.

Eric Kyei Baffour also na court of appeal judge wia im dey teach for di law school. Sabi pipo say im get strong knowledge for commercial litigation wia im preside ova plenti cases.

Justice Edward Amoako Asante bin di 6th president of di ECOWAS court of justice for West Africa for 2018.

Justice Asante be jurist, scholar and human rights advocate.

Pamela Cyra Koranteng wey be judicial secretary na anoda pesin wia don dey dis list.

Angelina Mensah-Homiah wia gat plenti experience for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) na di fifth justice

Wit di controversy wey greet dis chief justice letter to di president, pipo don dey wonder if di president fit to go ahead wit dis appointment, despite di pushback from di opposition parties and CSOs - as well as wetin dem tok say na constitutional breach.


Di Chief Justice bin dey under pressure say im breach di constitution ova di procedure im choose to recommend dis judges to di president.



Ghana currently gatz 15 judges for di Supreme Court wia di CJ wan make di president appoint 5 more