Akufo-Addo nominates two new judges to the Supreme Court

President Akufo-Addo has nominated two new judges to the Supreme Court following their approval by the Judicial Council.

The nominees are Professor Richard Frimpong Oppong, a distinguished legal academic and fellow of the Ghana Academy of Sciences, and Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah, a seasoned justice of the Court of Appeal.

As per constitutional requirements, both nominees are expected to be vetted by Parliament.

The nomination comes on the heels of a request by Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, who recently urged President Akufo-Addo to appoint five judges to the Supreme Court to manage the increasing number of cases currently before it.

Among the recommended judges are Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe, Justice Cyra Pamela Koranteng, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, Justice Eric Kyei Baffuour, and Justice Angelina Mensah Homiah.

However, the call by the Chief Justice was met with huge backlash from various groups, including the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), who condemned the procedure and called for her resignation.

Notably, the President’s recent nominations did not include the names suggested by the Chief Justice, sparking speculation about whether these recommendations were rejected or remain under consideration.

With the addition of the two nominees, the number of justices at the Supreme Court will increase to seventeen (17).

Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has advocated for legislation to limit or place a cap on the size of the Supreme Court.

“And so we are being called forth through this letter as a house, to look at the issue of a full complement of the Supreme Court. Should we be 13, should we be 15, should we be 20, 40 or 100? It is for this house to decide,” he said.

“I am urging you to look at this issue during the constitutional reforms or to pass legislation to give an upper limit as to how many can be at the Supreme Court of a country of 33 million people,” he added.