Parliament has completed the Supreme Court nominees approval process for Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko-Essah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and private legal practitioner Anthony Forson Jnr, despite the Minority Caucus boycotting their vetting.
The House approved the three nominees after adopting the report of the Appointments Committee, which recommended all of them for appointment to Ghana’s apex court.
Their approval clears another major stage in the constitutional process leading to their appointment as Justices of the Supreme Court.
Minority Walks Out Over Procedure
The Minority, led by Alexander Afenyo-Markin, stayed away from the substantive vetting after raising concerns about the speed and procedure adopted by the committee.
Mr Afenyo-Markin maintained that the caucus had no objection to the professional qualifications of the nominees. Its concern, he said, was the limited period allowed for scrutiny and what the Minority considered a departure from established parliamentary practice.
He also questioned the urgency of the appointments, arguing that there was no immediate vacancy on the Supreme Court requiring Parliament to accelerate the process.
Appointments Committee Chairman Bernard Ahiafor rejected the objections and directed that proceedings continue.
The Minority subsequently walked out, leaving Majority members to question the nominees and proceed with consideration of their nominations.
Three Nominees Get Parliamentary Backing
Justice Bernasko-Essah currently serves on the Court of Appeal and was previously nominated to 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 judge and previously served as President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
Mr Forson, meanwhile, comes from private legal practice and previously served as President of the Ghana Bar Association.
The Appointments Committee ultimately recommended all three for approval, a position subsequently endorsed by the full House.
The decision brings the controversial parliamentary stage to an end, although the Minority’s boycott leaves behind a wider dispute over how quickly Parliament should scrutinise appointments to the country’s highest court.
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