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The Judicial Service of Ghana (JSG) has clarified that the delay in hearing the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill cases by the Supreme Court is due to incomplete submissions from the involved parties. This statement comes in response to reports that the sponsors of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill plan to protest against the Chief Justice on September 17, 2024.
Sam George, MP for Ningo-Prampram and a sponsor of the bill, had criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to defer ruling on an interlocutory injunction that sought to stop Parliament from transmitting the bill to the President for assent. He described the delay as a “deliberate and malicious” move by the Chief Justice and announced a protest, dubbed the ‘Family Values March,’ to demand a timetable for the court proceedings.
In a statement issued on Friday, the JSG explained that for Richard Sky’s case, which began with a writ filed on March 5, 2024, neither Parliament (the 1st Defendant) nor the Attorney General (the 2nd Defendant) had filed their defense by July 31, 2024, when the Supreme Court went on recess. Without these Statements of Case, the Memorandum of Issues required for the trial cannot be filed, delaying the hearing.
Similarly, in the case filed by Dr. Amanda Odoi against the Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney General, the 1st Defendant had filed its defense in March 2024, but the 2nd Defendant has yet to file theirs. As a result, the case also cannot proceed to trial.
The JSG emphasized that only after the filing of individual or joint Memorandums of Issues can the Supreme Court proceed with the hearing. They also assured the public that the Supreme Court and other court registries remain open to receive any necessary filings during legal vacations.
