Parliament has approved the nominations of three individuals to serve as Justices of the Supreme Court, despite a boycott of their vetting by the Minority Caucus.
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 Appointments Committee’s report, which recommended all three nominees for appointment to the country’s apex court.
The Minority, led by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, had declined to participate in the vetting, arguing that the process was being hurried and did not follow the usual parliamentary procedures.
Mr Afenyo-Markin maintained that the Minority’s concerns were about the procedure and timing of the nominations and not the professional credentials of the three nominees.
He questioned the need for urgency, arguing that there was no existing vacancy on the Supreme Court that required immediate replacement and that the customary period for public scrutiny of the nominees had been shortened.
Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, rejected the Minority’s objection and directed the committee to proceed with the vetting.
The Minority subsequently walked out of the proceedings, leaving the Majority members to continue with the vetting and consideration of the nominees.
Despite the boycott, the committee proceeded to recommend all three nominees for approval, paving the way for their consideration by the full House.
Justice Bernasko-Essah, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, has extensive experience in the Judiciary. She was previously nominated for the Supreme Court in 2024, although the process was not completed before the change in government.
Justice Amoako Asante, also a Court of Appeal Justice, served as President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice before returning to Ghana’s Court of Appeal.
Anthony Forson Jnr, a private legal practitioner and former President of the Ghana Bar Association, has had a long career in private legal practice.
With Parliament’s approval, the three nominees have cleared a major stage in the constitutional process for their appointment to the Supreme Court.
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