Thaddeus Sory, a lawyer for the Speaker of Parliament, has asked Supreme Court Justice Yao Gaewu to recuse himself from an ongoing case involving the Speaker’s decision to vacate four parliamentary seats.
When the lawyer appeared in court on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, he tabled the request.
He cited allegations about Justice Gaewu’s previous involvement with the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to him, this raises concerns about possible bias in the ongoing case.
His formal request came after heated arguments in court over Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame’s challenge to portions of the Speaker’s affidavit, specifically paragraphs 21 and 49, which he called “scandalous.”
These paragraphs allegedly address the political implications of the Speaker’s decision to declare the seats vacant, and the Attorney General claimed that they could jeopardise the case’s legal integrity.
In addition, Joe Ghartey, representing Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, attempted to make a preliminary comment on the case.
However, the court, led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo, chastised Ghartey for allowing a junior lawyer to make the opening remarks.
The Chief Justice, who chairs the panel, underscored need for courtroom etiquette and the perceived disrespect displayed by delegating a vital component of the defence’s argument to a junior associate, resulting in Ghartey’s statement being ignored.
The Supreme Court panel is expected to rule on the recusal application and other significant issues during the sessions later today.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana