Parliament heads to court over Akufo-Addo's refusal to sign Witchcraft, Armed Forces Bills

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has disclosed parliament's intention to seek legal interpretation regarding President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's decision not to sign certain bills passed by the House, citinewsroom.com reports.

In 2023, President Akufo-Addo declined to sign the Criminal Offences Bill of 2022, the Witchcraft Bill, and the Armed Forces Bill of 2023, citing financial implications as the rationale for his refusal.

Speaker Bagbin emphasized that the constitutionality of the bills is solely within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

He asserted that any allegations of misuse should be contested before the Supreme Court and not addressed unilaterally by the president.

President Akufo-Addo, pinpointing the Ghana Armed Forces Amendment Bill, sponsored by MP Francis-Xavier Sosu, highlighted financial concerns related to replacing the death penalty with life imprisonment.

In response, Speaker Bagbin stated, "The determination of any unconstitutionality is the sole purview of the Supreme Court, not the president."

He further clarified that if there were concerns about parliament exceeding its constitutional authority, the appropriate course of action would be a legal challenge before the Supreme Court, rather than an executive declaration of unconstitutionality.

He added, "Again, the constitutional discretion vested in the presiding officer of parliament, as per Article 108 and subject to Article 296, suggests that any allegations of misuse of this discretion should be contested in a court of competent jurisdiction, rather than being pre-emptively adjudicated upon by the president."

Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.

NAY/AE