Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has rejected a request by the Minority to suspend the vetting of Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.
Addressing the House on Friday, November 7, Speaker Bagbin ruled that there was no constitutional or procedural basis to halt the process over pending court cases.
“There is no constitutional or standing order basis for Parliament to halt the process simply because there are pending cases in court,” the Speaker said. “Should I accept that argument, it would mean that any litigant could hold Parliament hostage by filing a case and freezing the work of Parliament and its committees. The motion is inadmissible and has been returned to the sponsor, the Minority Leader, Honourable Alexander Afenyo-Markin.”
The Speaker’s ruling follows the Minority’s insistence that the vetting of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, who currently serves as Acting Chief Justice, should not proceed until all legal challenges filed by the removed Chief Justice are resolved.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie is scheduled to appear before the Appointments Committee on Monday for vetting to become the substantive head of the Judiciary.
However, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin maintained on the floor that his side would not support any move to vet the nominee while the court processes are pending.
“We will not support a business committee report that includes any vetting on Monday,” he said. “We have filed a motion and followed due process. The rights of Justice Araba Torkornoo must be respected. That vetting will not happen — due process must be followed.”
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