Justice Honyenuga calls for the repeal of death penalty

A nominee to the Supreme Court, Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga has called for the scrapping of the death penalty from the country’s statutes.

Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga made this appeal while facing the Appointment Committee of parliament on Monday May 11, 2020.

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu sought for his view on the ‘death penalty code’ in Ghana of which Justice Honyenuga advocated that a legislative step must be initiated with urgency to abolish the death penalty from the country’s statutes.

“As I said, I used to be a very hard guy but I am now a born again and therefore I am for the abolishing of the death penalty. It should be substituted with life without parole.

"Besides since 1975, nobody convicted of that sentence has been killed."

"I will advocate that there must be legislative step to abolish the death penalty.” He stated.

Born on the 4th of September, 1952 at Nyagbo-Gagbefe in the Volta region and being called to the bar in November 1981, Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga has had over twenty years of legal practice and seventeen years as a Judge in Ghana.

Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga together with two others, Yoni Kulendi and Justice Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu have been appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the Supreme Court to replace Justices Julius Ansah, Nasiru Sulemana Gbadegbe and Anthony Alfred Bennin who are due for retirement this year.

He has been serving as a Justice of the Appeals Court until his appointment.

Currently, he has been sitting as additional High Court judge in the state’s criminal case against former COCOBOD boss, Dr. Stephen Opuni and businessman Seidu Agongo who have been accused of causing financial loss to the state.