By Francis Kobena Tandoh
The Minority Caucus in Parliament on Thursday walked out of the Appointments Committee’s sitting during the vetting of three nominees for appointment to the Supreme Court (SC).
The walkout followed a decision by the committee chairman, Bernard Ahiafor, to proceed with the vetting despite objections from Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
The Minority argued that the process was being rushed, particularly because the public had been given only three days to submit memoranda on the nominees. Afenyo-Markin said Parliament’s Standing Orders required adequate public notice and argued that there was no urgent vacancy requiring the process to be expedited.
The three nominees are Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko-Essah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, and private legal practitioner Anthony Forson Jr., a former President of the Ghana Bar Association.
Chairman Ahiafor rejected the Minority’s objection, describing the grounds as “flimsy, hollow and baseless” and maintaining that the committee could not overturn a decision already taken by the full House. The Minority subsequently left the sitting.
Despite the boycott, the Majority proceeded with the vetting, and the committee later recommended all three nominees for approval by Parliament. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
