Chairman of Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, has rejected the Minority’s attempt to halt the vetting of three Supreme Court nominees, describing the grounds for the objection as “flimsy”, “hollow” and “baseless”.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, had urged the Committee to defer the exercise, arguing that there was no immediate vacancy on the Supreme Court bench to warrant the nominations.
He also questioned why the nominees were being considered as additional justices and called for their nominations to be advertised for 14 days before the vetting.
The nominees are Justice Sophia Bernasko-Essah and Justice Edward Amoako Asante, both Justices of the Court of Appeal, and private legal practitioner Anthony Forson Jr., a former President of the Ghana Bar Association.
Mr Ahiafor said the Committee had no authority to overturn a decision already taken by the full House.
“Plenary has a right to vary the decision of the committee. However, if the House takes a decision, no committee can vary the decision of the House,” he said.
He maintained that any member dissatisfied with a decision of Parliament must rely on the procedures provided under the Standing Orders to seek a reversal.
“I will not preside over this committee and purport to vary the orders or directions or decision taken at the plenary by the entire House,” Mr Ahiafor said, adding: “It is not done in any democracy, and I will not be the first to introduce it in Ghana’s democracy.”
Mr Ahiafor also rejected calls for the Committee to apply a different standard to the judicial nominees, insisting that all nominees must be treated fairly.
“I will not also preside over this particular committee and discriminate against the judges, allow the vetting of our colleagues and then reject the vetting of the judges’ nominees,” he said.
