Parliament’s Appointments Committee has by majority decision recommended the approval of the remaining two of four Justices nominated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the Supreme Court.
The two are Justices George Kingsley Koomson and Ernest Gaewu.
This comes after the initial recommendation and subsequent approval of Justice Babara Frances Ackah-Yensu and Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu Asiedu.
In its 28th report on the President’s nominations for appointment as Justices of the Supreme Court, the Appointment Committee said “it recommends to the House by majority decision, the approval of Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu and Justice George Kingsley Koomson. The Committee again requests the House to adopt its report and approve the nominees as Justices of the Supreme Court.”
The committee said it considered the four nominees as Justices to the Supreme Court pursuant to Article 128 (4) of the 1992 Constitution and Standing Order 74.
The nominees according to the Committee demonstrated proficiency in the knowledge of the law and showed good character and competence.
“They pledged to uphold the principles of the Constitution without fear or favour, and avoid partisanship in their rulings,” the report recommended.
With the four nominations, Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu was the only nominee from the High Court, while the three others are justices of the Court of Appeal.
His nomination was not without controversies because of his affiliation with the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He was the party’s parliamentary candidate for Ho Central in the 2016 general elections.
There were concerns about his political history, but Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu at his vetting he maintained that, his application of the law will be devoid of political bias.
In fact, members of the Appointments Committee struggled to build consensus on whether to approve his nomination.
The lack of consensus stemmed from objections from some Minority MPs, who had argued that his elevation is not desirable and have given several reasons to back their stance.