Oppong Nkrumah hints at review of Supreme Court ruling on legal vacation cases

‎By: Godbless Asaana‎
‎Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has indicated that he may seek a review of the Supreme Court’s decision dismissing his application to stop selected High Court judges from hearing criminal cases during the legal vacation.
‎
‎The former Minister for Information spoke to the media after the court dismissed his injunction application challenging the Chief Justice’s warrant permitting selected High Court judges to hear criminal matters during the annual legal vacation.
‎
‎Oppong Nkrumah said although the court rejected his application, the ruling contained significant observations about how certain cases had been handled by the High Court.
‎
‎“The court has dismissed our injunction application, but in the ruling some very interesting pronouncements have been made,” he said.
‎
‎He pointed specifically to the court’s acknowledgement that some cases had received different treatment and had been expedited.
‎
‎“For the first time, the courts have admitted that some cases have been treated differently. Those are the words of the judge. They have been treated differently and expeditiously. Why? He doesn’t say so.”
‎
‎According to Mr Oppong Nkrumah, the court nevertheless concluded that the differential treatment did not amount to a breach of the constitutional provisions cited in his case.
‎
‎“But then he proceeds to say that, in his opinion, that will not amount to a violation of the constitutional articles that we have raised in this particular matter and that he thinks that that will even be in the interest of the accused persons,” he said.
‎
‎He said his legal team had requested a certified copy of the ruling to allow them to thoroughly examine the court’s reasoning before deciding on the appropriate legal course.
‎
‎“We’ve asked for a certified copy so that we can peruse it some more and then on the advice of counsel we’ll take the next steps,” he said.
‎
‎Asked directly whether he would seek a review of the Supreme Court’s decision, the Ofoase-Ayirebi MP said: “Very much so, very much so, but we’ll consider it,” he added.
‎
‎The legal vacation is an annual period during which the courts generally operate under special arrangements, with routine hearings limited while selected judges may be authorised to handle urgent or specified matters.

The controversy in this case centres on the Chief Justice’s warrant allowing selected High Court judges to hear criminal cases during the period, with Mr Oppong Nkrumah challenging the arrangement on constitutional grounds.