Appointments Committee of Parliament Suspends Vetting Of Supreme Court Nominees

The Appointments Committee of Parliament on Tuesday failed to reach a consensus for the vetting of the two nominees of the President for appointment as Supreme Court Judges.

The Nominees: Justice Sophia Rosseta Bernasko Essah, a Court of Appeal Judge and Professor Richard Frimpong Oppong, a legal academic and a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts Sciences, were scheduled to be vetted on Tuesday, July 30.

However, following a disagreement between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Majority Members of the Committee, Mrs Patricia Appiagyei, the Vice Chairperson of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, who was Presiding, had to suspend sitting of the Committee for further consultations.

The nominees, who had arrived on the Sixth Floor of the Job Six Hundred Block of Parliament for the vetting were not admitted into the meeting due to heated arguments between the Minority and Majority Members of the Committee.

Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minority, reiterated that the Minority were not against the appointment of the two nominees of the Supreme Court, saying “all that we are asking for is an opportunity to do our work well and then diligently do what the public has asked us to do. That is all”.

He alleged that the Vice Chairman of the Committee unilaterally wrote letters to the nominees inviting them for vetting without the consent of the Committee, setting Wednesday, 31st July, as the day for their vetting.

“After we met as a committee and agreed that we will do this vetting before we are recalled, so that during the recall we will take them, you (Mrs Appiagyei) unilaterally again informed them that now you have shifted the day (for the vetting) from the 31st of July to Tuesday, (July 30).

“Madam, this is not a Banana Republic. This is the Republic of Ghana. This is the Black Star of Africa; this is Kwame Nkrumah’s Republic of Ghana. Please, do not destroy our democracy,” Dr Forson said.

“At the minimum, you must give us the opportunity to study the nominees and the people of Ghana must see us, that we are doing our work. We cannot joke with this democracy.”

He said the Committee was supposed to advertise the nominees for 14 days as required by law; declaring that “so, far you have advertised for four days, even the advert, you didn’t tell us that you are advertising”.

Mr Mahama Ayariga, the NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central and a Member of the Appointments Committee, who was the first to raise the matter, urged the Committee to take its time and do a decent job.

Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza, the Minority Chief Whip and NDC MP for Adaklu reiterated that Parliament must not be controlled by unseen hands.

Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip and NPP MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri said the two Leaders of the Committee would meet to resolve the matter.

 

 

 

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