The President of the Asogli Traditional Area, Togbe Afede XIV, has called for a review of the process for appointing Supreme Court justices.
According to him, stronger safeguards are needed to protect the independence of the country’s highest court.
Speaking at the climax of the Supreme Court’s 150th anniversary celebration in Accra, the former President of the National House of Chiefs expressed concern over the Constitution’s failure to set a maximum number of Supreme Court judges, warning that the current arrangement leaves room for political influence.
He said although justices are expected to uphold impartiality upon assuming office, the absence of a constitutional cap on the size of the apex court creates an opportunity for successive governments to expand its membership to serve political interests.
“As a nation, we will have to support making the judiciary and the Supreme Court independent and strong. One way to do it is to take a second look at the way we appoint our justices. From the beginning, they are made to be impartial,” he said.
Togbe Afede XIV noted that the unrestricted power to appoint additional Supreme Court judges undermines efforts to strengthen the judiciary’s independence and public trust.
“The absence of an upper limit to the total number of Supreme Court judges allows adding, adding, and adding to satisfy political objectives,” he cautioned.
He urged the country to consider reforms that would insulate the judicial appointment process from political considerations, saying such measures would reinforce the credibility, independence, and integrity of the Supreme Court.
