Parliament has approved the appointment of three nominees to Ghana’s Supreme Court, bringing them a step closer to joining the country’s apex court despite the Minority’s decision to boycott their vetting.
The approved nominees are Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko-Essah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and private legal practitioner Anthony Forson Jnr, a former President of the Ghana Bar Association.
The approval followed the adoption of the report of Parliament’s Appointments Committee, which recommended all three nominees for appointment.
The decision was taken despite strong objections from the Minority Caucus, which had refused to participate in the vetting process.
Led by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority argued that Parliament was moving too quickly and had not allowed sufficient time for public scrutiny of the nominees.
Mr Afenyo-Markin maintained that the Minority had no objection to the qualifications or suitability of the three nominees. Instead, he said the concern was about the procedure and timeframe adopted for considering the nominations.
He also questioned the urgency of the appointments, arguing that there was no vacancy on the Supreme Court that required the nominees to be considered within the shortened timeframe.
The Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, rejected the Minority’s position and proceeded with the vetting after maintaining that the committee was bound by the decision of the full House.
The Minority subsequently walked out of the committee proceedings, allowing the Majority members to continue with the vetting and consideration of the nominees.
Following the completion of the process, the committee recommended all three nominees for approval, leading to their consideration and eventual approval by the full House.
Justice Bernasko-Essah, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, brings extensive judicial experience to the nomination. She was previously nominated for the Supreme Court in 2024, although that process was not completed before the change of administration.
Justice Amoako Asante is also a Court of Appeal Justice and previously served as President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice before returning to Ghana’s Court of Appeal.
Mr Anthony Forson Jnr, a private legal practitioner and former President of the Ghana Bar Association, brings considerable experience from his years in private legal practice.
With Parliament’s approval secured, the three nominees have cleared another major stage in the constitutional process for their appointment to the Supreme Court.
The development also highlights a growing disagreement between the Majority and Minority over the procedures governing the consideration of judicial nominations, with the Minority maintaining that adequate time must be provided for scrutiny while the Majority insists the process followed Parliament’s approved directives.
