A former Director of the Ghana School of Law (GSL) and private legal practitioner, Mr. Ansah Asare says the request for additional Justices at the Supreme Court is not convincing and unjustifiable.
This comes on the back of Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo indicating that the Apex Court will need additional hands.
She explained that the move is to augment the numbers considering the huge workload that the current number at the Supreme Court will have to deal with.
President Akufo-Addo has made a formal request to nominate five judges to the Supreme Court of Ghana.
The names nominated for appointment to the Supreme Court include Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botchwey, the presiding judge in the ambulance case involving Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, as well as Justice Cyra Pamela Koranteng, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, Justice Eric Kyei Baffuour, and Justice Angelina Mensah Homiah.
But, speaking on Morning Starr with Francis Abban, the former GSL Director believes that the additional numbers are unnecessary.
“The Chief Justice by herself has no power to increase the number, I would like to believe that the request emanated from the Judicial Council of which the Chief Justice is part. I don’t think the reasons assigned by the Lord Chief Justice are convincing”. Mr. Asare noted.
According to him, the US with a huge population has a few Justices at their Apex Court which Ghana should emulate.
“I have said this before that in the US with a much larger population and bigger country, the US has nine Justices, and they have had this number since the evolution of their constitutional democratic system.
“We have a much smaller population and the size of Ghana is like the size of Oregon in the US. So convincingly, I don’t think that we have any cause to increase them.”
The former GSL boss further stated that the request is unjustifiable and must be aborted.
“This is not the time for the government to use the Judicial Council as a cover-up and the Judicial ought not to have entertained the request at all. So currently I don’t think there is any justification or any reason that can be justified. No justification can be given; we don’t need additional Supreme Court judges.
“In the Constitution in Article 1, 28 Clause 4, it is quite clear that the Chief Justice plus nine other justices. Even though there is no capping, I think that a reasonable interpretation will suggest that the 15 is ok for now.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
