Parliament Suspends Vetting of Justice Ackaah-Boafo

The vetting of Supreme Court nominee Justice Ackaah-Boafo has been indefinitely suspended by Parliament’s Appointment Committee.

The move follows the filing of a petition by a human rights activist identified as Anthony Kwabenya Rau.

Rau alleges in his petition that Justice Ackaah-Boafo displayed unconscionable bias against him during court proceedings and argued it makes him unfit to serve on the apex court of the land.

The Supreme court nominee, in response, has dismissed the allegations.

The petition, sighted by the Hard Law journal, alleged that Justice Ackaah-Boafo displayed bias and used inappropriate language during court proceedings. He also claimed that the judge insulted him and questioned his right to represent clients in Ghana due to his Canadian background.

He also claimed that the judge in his judgment against him added personal insults, describing this as evidence of bias and corruption.

He also said the judge derided him as a ‘so-called Messiah’.

The petition described the Supreme court nominee as “arrogant, bias, power drunk, human rights abuse (sic), and supporting of corruption”

“For me he will be a disaster at the Supreme court if approve (sic) for the international and national interest of the republic. These are my reasons to petition the vetting committee not to approve this particular judge,” the petition said.

Hard Law further said that sources close to the judge denied the allegations and expressed his eagerness to appear before the Appointments Committee to undergo his vetting.

Ackah Boafo’s vetting suspension analysis

The news of the suspension of a Supreme Court Justice nominees’ vetting sent shockwaves through Ghana’s political landscape, as stakeholders grappled with the seemingly serious allegations against the nominee.

While some might call the allegations frivolous, they bear investigating, and Parliament’s Appointments Committee should be applauded for taking the right decision to suspend the process until the nominee’s character can be vouched for.

A Supreme Court position is no small thing to be wasted on those with questionable character, and the process must remain suspended until all doubts about the nominee have been removed, to the satisfaction of both the majority and the minority members of the committee.

Source: Liberalprint.com