Supreme Court grants AG extension of time in Anti-gay Bill case

The Supreme Court has granted the Attorney General an extension of time to submit his statement of case regarding the lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the Anti-LGBTQ bill.

The AG requested the additional time to gather necessary documents, including a Financial Impact Analysis from the Speaker of Parliament, which had not yet been provided despite a previous court order.

The lawsuits are challenging the constitutionality of the Human and Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2024, which was passed by Parliament last February.

The extension was granted by the sole judge after considering an application for more time in the case involving Richard Dela Sky and Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin.

The state, represented by Dr. Sylvia Adusu, requested the extension to allow for the filing of their statement of case.

She clarified that the delay was not due to any disrespect towards the court.

Dr. Adusu explained that AG’s office was awaiting additional documents, including a Financial Impact Analysis from the Speaker of Parliament.

She noted that despite a prior court order for the documents to be submitted, compliance had not been met, and the lack of the documents was significantly affecting the case.

This, she noted, had caused the delay in filing their statement of case.

The lawyers for Richard Sky, Paa Kwesi Abaidoo, and Raphael Banaangman did not oppose the Attorney General’s application for an extension of time.

Abaidoo informed the court that they were prepared to file their memoranda of issues but were hindered by the absence of the impact analysis documents from the Speaker of Parliament.

Mr. Banaangman told the court “We do not oppose to the application except to say that we have issues with paragraph six and seven of the affidavits in support of the application for extension of time.”

In another development, the Supreme Court granted an extension of time to the Attorney General in the case of Dr. Amanda Odoi versus the Speaker of Parliament and the AG.

Richard Sky, a broadcast journalist, is seeking a court order to restrain the Speaker from presenting the Human and Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2024 to the President for assent.

He is also seeking to restrain the President from assenting to the Bill, arguing that such action would directly violate the constitutional rights and liberties of Ghanaians.

Sky is also requesting an injunction to prevent any enforcement of provisions in the bill that criminalise same-sex relationships and related advocacy efforts.