A senior member of the Ghana Bar Association and Director of Legal Affairs of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Frank Davies, has described President John Dramani Mahama’s recent nominations to the Supreme Court as a significant development, stating that it signals “interesting times ahead for the judiciary.”
His remarks followed the President’s nomination of seven Justices of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court in accordance with Article 144(2) of the 1992 Constitution.
The nominees are Justices Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, Gbiel Simon Suurbaareh, Senyo Dzamefe, Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo, Philip Bright Mensah, Janapare Bartels-Kojo, and Hafisata Amaleboba.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsnight on Wednesday, April 30, Mr. Davies acknowledged the President’s constitutional right to make such appointments but questioned the timing and broader implications.
“Interesting times ahead for the judiciary. Of course, nobody can take away the right of the President to nominate justices to the bench of the Supreme Court. That is a constitutional prerogative,” he said.
Mr Davies, who has practiced before all the nominated judges at different levels of the judiciary, congratulated them on their elevation. However, he raised questions about recent remarks by President Mahama, referencing a forum where the President reportedly encouraged lawyers aligned with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to aspire to judicial office to “balance the equation” regarding past judicial appointments made by former President Nana Akufo-Addo.
“If, on the back of that, the President is now nominating seven justices for elevation, the optics are there for Ghanaians to judge. I am not the President. I’m a trained lawyer and a citizen. I leave the better judgment to the people,” he added.
Davies expressed concern about the growing size of the Supreme Court, noting that the current number of justices.
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