Bright Simons (left) and Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo
Bright Simons, a vice president of IMANI Africa, has reacted to Justice William Atuguba's (Rtd) description of the court’s judgement in the trial of the Member of Parliament for Assin Central as ‘scandalous’.
In a post shared on X on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, Bright Simons said that comments by the former justice of the apex court of Ghana are serious and an indication that not all is well with the court.
He added that if care is not taken, the Supreme Court would 'sink' in the future.
“For a former Justice of the apex court & one-time senior most Justice on that same court to break ranks this way, you can judge how low the standing of the Supreme Court is bound to sink if it does not do the necessary soul-searching,” he wrote.
Speaking at a public lecture on ‘Protecting Our Democracy: The Role of the Judiciary’, on Tuesday, Justice Atuguba described the ruling of the court on the trial of Assin North legislator James Gyakye Quayson as scandalous.
He explained that the court should not have heard the case in the first place because it was adjudicated by the High Court, and the decision to do so goes against the basic principle of law.
He added that the Supreme Court should have executed the High Court’s decision and not started a fresh trial.
“The decision in the Gyakye Quayson case was scandalous. The Supreme Court re-adjudicated the matter already decided by the High Court,” he said.
Justice Atuguba said that the Supreme Court erred with its decision to declare Quayson's election victory null and void when the MP had clearly renounced his Canadian citizenship in November 2020 and the election was in December 2020.
He indicated that it does not make sense for the court to say Quayson owed allegiance to Canada when it had also cited his renunciation certificate issued in 2019.
View Bright Simons' post below:
For a former Justice of the apex court & one-time seniormost Justice on that same court to break ranks this way, you can judge how low the standing of the Supreme Court is bound to sink if it does not do the necessary soul-searching. pic.twitter.com/h6mk4plWXb
— Bright Simons (@BBSimons) October 24, 2023
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