Akufo-Addo Appoints Two New Supreme Court Judges.

SOURCE: Myjoyonline.com

Akufo-Addo Nominates Two New Judges for Supreme Court

• New Nominations: President Akufo-Addo has nominated two individuals for the Supreme Court bench:
• Professor Richard Frimpong Oppong: A legal academic and fellow of the Ghana Academy of Sciences.
• Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah: A current Justice of the Court of Appeal with a notable background as a State Attorney and private legal practitioner.
• Approval Process: Both nominees must be vetted by Parliament as required by the Constitution.
• Expected Contributions:
• Prof. Frimpong Oppong: If approved, he will join Prof. Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu, contributing legal academic expertise to the Supreme Court.
• Justice Bernasko Essah: Her extensive experience in various legal roles will add valuable judicial experience to the Court.
• Chief Justice’s Request: This nomination follows a recent letter from Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, who requested the appointment of five new judges to address the Supreme Court’s heavy caseload.
• Recommended Judges:
• Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe
• Justice Cyra Pamela Koranteng
• Justice Edward Amoako Asante
• Justice Eric Kyei Baffuour
• Justice Angelina Mensah Homiah
• Controversy:
• The Chief Justice’s recommendation process has faced criticism, including calls for her resignation from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
• The current nominations by President Akufo-Addo do not include the judges recommended by the Chief Justice, raising questions about the status of those nominations.
• Impact: If approved, the number of Supreme Court justices will increase to 17.