House to decide on Justice Essilfie-Bondzie today

PARLIAMENT will today decide whether to approve or reject the appointment of Mr Justice Essilfie-Bondzie to the Supreme Court.

Mr Justice Essilfie-Bondzie was nominated by the President to the highest court of the land about three months ago, but the House on two occasions could not reach a consensus on the matter.

When the issue was revisited at yesterday’s sitting, MPs from the political divide once again expressed divergent views on the appointment, compelling the Speaker, Mr Justice D. F. Annan, to defer it for consideration.

Before deferring the matter, the Speaker asked the leadership of the House for their opinion on the issue after which the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr M. A. Seidu, and Nana Akufo-Addo, the NPP member for Abuakwa, who led the minority group, said the two sides could still not agree on the matter.

Nana Akufo-Addo said in view of that, the issue be deferred so that the House could advise the President to withdraw the nomination.

Mr Seidu on the other hand said the issue forms part of the House’s unfinished agenda and that it is its obligation to decide on it but not to advise the President to withdraw the nomination.

When he took the floor, Sq. Ldr. Clend Sowu (rtd), (NDC, Anlo) suggested to the delight of the minority that Mr Fuzzy Torbay (NDC, Okere) who was also nominated for the position of Minister of State at the Office of the President but has not yet been approved by Parliament should also be considered.

After many MPs had expressed their views on the subject, the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Kenneth Dzirasah, suggested that the question should be put since the House had already dealt with it but the Speaker deferred it due to lack of quorum.