Parliament has given the green light to three nominees for elevation to the Supreme Court, notwithstanding the Minority’s decision to stay away from their vetting.
The approved nominees are Court of Appeal Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko-Essah, Court of Appeal Justice Edward Amoako Asante and private legal practitioner and former Ghana Bar Association (GBA) President, Anthony Forson Jnr.
Their approval came after the House adopted the report of the Appointments Committee, which endorsed all three for appointment to the country’s highest court.
The Minority Caucus, under the leadership of Alexander Afenyo-Markin, boycotted the vetting exercise, describing the process as hasty and inconsistent with accepted parliamentary practice.
According to Mr Afenyo-Markin, the Minority had no issue with the competence of the nominees, but was opposed to how quickly their nominations were being handled.
He maintained that there was no existing vacancy on the Supreme Court bench to warrant such urgency and questioned why the customary window for public input on the nominees was curtailed.
However, the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, dismissed the concerns raised and ruled that the vetting should go ahead.
Following that decision, the Minority staged a walkout from the committee’s sitting, leaving the Majority members to proceed with the vetting and assessment of the nominees. Despite the boycott, the committee recommended the trio for approval, setting the stage for a vote by the plenary.
Justice Bernasko-Essah, a Court of Appeal Judge with vast judicial experience, had earlier been nominated to the Supreme Court in 2024, but the process stalled following a change in government. Justice Amoako Asante, also of the Court of Appeal, previously headed the ECOWAS Court of Justice as its President before resuming duty at the Court of Appeal in Ghana.
Anthony Forson Jnr, a seasoned private legal practitioner and former President of the Ghana Bar Association, comes with rich experience from private practice. Their approval now paves the way for them to go through the final constitutional steps to join Ghana’s apex court.
