Honyenuga, Kulendi, Mensah-Bonsu and Amadu get Parliamentary nod for Supreme Court bench

Parliament has unanimously approved the appointment of Mr Justice Clemence Honyenuga, a Court of Appeal judge and three others to the Supreme Court bench.

The three others are Mr Justice Issifu Imoro Tanko Amadu, also a judge of the Court of Appeal, Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, a law lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ghana, Legon and President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and Mr Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, a private legal practitioner.

The recommendation for approval was contained in a report the chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, presented to the House Wednesday morning [May 20, 2020], reports Graphic Online's Nana Konadu Agyeman from Parliament.

It had been anticipated that there was going to be a rancorous debate of the committee's report following Mr Honyenuga's failure to secure a unanimous approval from the Appointments Committee of Parliament last week when he appeared before it for vetting.

The committee voted on a 10-7 approval.

PHOTO: Mr Justice Clemence Honyenuga

A member of the committee, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for instance, told Graphic Online last week that since Justice Honyenuga had approval based on majority decision, the report on his nomination was going to be sent to the plenary of Parliament for a full debate and for a vote to be taken.

“If Justice Honyenuga had won by consensus like his colleague Amadu, it means the report to the plenary will just follow the motion and it will be a simple voice vote and not a rancorous debate for a ‘yes’ and ‘no’ vote,” the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for North Tongu told Graphic Online last week after the vetting.

“The Minority was not convinced he was forthright and sincere. He breached several provisions in rules 1, 2, 5 and particularly 6 (s) of the Code of Conduct for judges and magistrates which frowns on judges endorsing a political office holder,” he added.

The other three nominees, Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu, Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu and Yonny Kulendi, however, had unanimous approval.

• Read also: 
• Prof. Mensa-Bonsu, Kulendi sail through vetting
• Supreme Court vetting: Committee refers Honyenuga to plenary.

Approval

Presenting the report Wednesday morning, Mr Osei-Owusu said at the end of two days of vetting, with a minimum of three hours each for the four nominees, the committee concluded that it was satisfied that the nominees exhibited good character and therefore found them suitable for appointment to the Supreme Court of Ghana.

The Minority Leader, Mr Haruna Iddrisu in seconding the motion remarked that the Minority was moved by the apology of Justice Honyenuga in respect of his reported comment that urged support for President Akufo-Addo.

After deliberation on the report of the committee in the House Wednesday morning, the House unanimously approved the recommendation for the four to be appointed to the Supreme Court bench. 

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in accordance with Article 144(2) of the 1992 Constitution and on the advice of the Judicial Council and the Council of State, in March 2020 nominated the four for Parliament to vet and recommend their approval for appointment.

They are to replace four justices of the Supreme Court who are proceeding on retirement.

Their approval by Parliament followed a vetting by the Appointment Committee of Parliament.

Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh 

Follow @enochfrimpong Follow @Graphicgh