Ghana's Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill: Supreme Court grants Speaker 7-Day extension to file defense

Accra, Ghana - October 17, 2024 - The Supreme Court of Ghana has granted the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, an additional seven days to file his defense in the ongoing Richard Sky suit challenging the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.

This comes after the Speaker and the Attorney General missed the initial deadline for submitting their defenses.

Raphael Banaangman, the lawyer for the Speaker of Parliament, requested the extension, assuring the court that the failure to submit the defense was not intended as disrespect. However, lawyers from the Attorney General's office explained that they cannot submit their statement of defense until Parliament attaches the fiscal impact analysis of the bill.

Paa Kwesi Abaidoo, representing Richard Sky, in an interview with the media clarified that the plaintiffs are not responsible for the delay in resolving the case.

He emphasized that the memoranda of issues can only be filed after the defenses have been submitted, as upheld by the Supreme Court on July 17, 2024.

“You must have heard concerns raised by me this morning when I sort the leave of the court to discard the notion that the plaintiffs are the ones orchestrating a delay in the hearing of this case. My reason for doing so was very clear.

“At the ordinary sitting of the Supreme Court on July 17, 2024, my contention was upheld by the Supreme Court that until the defendants filed their statement of the case, we, the plaintiffs, will not be in a position to distil issues for the filing of a memorandum of issues.

“You will agree with me that this morning’s application by the first defendant was to the effect that they have not filed and require some extension of time to file, meaning that the delay is not orchestrated by us and so I don’t know why someone should give the impression that it is us [the plaintiffs] delaying the process.”

Source: Lead News Online