Speaker Bagbin raises concerns about lawsuits against Bills passed by Parliament

The Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has expressed concerns over lawsuits filed against yet-to-be-assented to bills passed.

He says that the Supreme Court cannot hear such cases because that undermines the work of the legislative arm of government.

He served notice that if this trend is not stopped the work of lawmakers will be ‘useless’.

Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, July 3, Mr Bagbin indicated that “Every day I am served with suits as a party to the cases.”

His comments come at a time when the Supreme Court has scheduled July 17, 2024, to rule on Dr. Amanda Odoi’s application for an interlocutory injunction against the transmission of the anti-gay bill to the presidency by Parliament.

On the same day, the court will also address an application filed by media personality and lawyer Richard Dela Sky.

This announcement follows arguments from the plaintiffs’ lawyers, the Attorney- General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, and Thaddeus Sory, counsel for the Speaker of Parliament.

Delivering the closing remarks after today’s hearing, the 5-member panel, chaired by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, emphasized that the court will issue separate rulings for the two cases.

The panel includes Justice Mariama Owusu, Justice Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Justice Ernest Gaewu, and Justice Yaw Darko Asare.

There are currently two lawsuits before the Supreme Court challenging the passage of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill passed by Parliament.

Richard Dela Sky is challenging the constitutionality of Parliament’s passage of the “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.”

He argues that the bill violates several provisions of the 1992 Constitution, including Article 33(5) and Articles 12(1) and (2), 15(1), 17(1) and (2), 18(2), and 21(1)(a)(b)(d) and (e).

Sky is seeking eight reliefs, including an order declaring that the Speaker of Parliament contravened Article 108(a)(ii) of the Constitution by allowing Parliament to pass the bill, which imposes a charge on the Consolidated Fund or other public funds of Ghana.

Dr. Amanda Odoi has raised concerns about specific provisions within the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.

She is seeking a restraining order to prevent the Speaker, the Attorney-General, and the Clerk of Parliament from sending the bill to President Akufo-Addo for approval.

Source: 3news