The Ghana Bar Association believes it is time for a cap to be placed on the number of Supreme Court judges Ghana has at a time. Speaking to Citi News on the matter, the Public Relations Officer of the Association, Saviour Kudze, said “the way our constitution is now, if we don’t put a ceiling on it, it will not help us.”
For the limit to the number of judges possibly put in place, Mr. Kudze said, “it will depend on the work at hand.” “Many more cases are going on appeal now and the Supreme Court happens to be the highest and final appellate court, so for me, going forward, we need to look at it and see if you can have some ceiling.”
“It cannot be left just like that,” he concluded. The association’s remarks follow concerns by the Minority in Parliament about the number of judges appointed by President Akufo-Addo to the apex court.
The Minority has complained that the increase from 11 to 14 justices has the tendency to drain the resources of the state in the face of harsh economic conditions. Four judges were vetted after being nominated to the Supreme Court.
The Justices considered were Justice Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu, Justice of the Court of Appeal; Mr Justice George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal; Mr Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu Asiedu, Justice of the Court of Appeal; and Mr Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court.
