The Supreme Court has cleared the air on accusations of intentionally delaying the legal challenges against the Human and Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, also known as the anti-gay bill.
Justice Ellen Ofer-Ayeh, the court’s Registrar and a High Court judge, attributed the delays to the parties’ failure to complete the required legal procedures.
At a press conference on Monday, October 7, 2024, Justice Ofer-Ayeh explained that none of the parties had submitted the memorandum of issues, and both defendants—the Attorney General (A-G) and Parliament—missed the deadline for filing their defense.
Parliament has since requested an extension to submit its defense, with a hearing scheduled between October 15 and 17, 2024.
This development comes on the heels of a protest march led by Sam George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, which was set for today, October 8, 2024.
The march aimed to submit a petition to the A-G and the Chief Justice, expressing dissatisfaction with the perceived slow progress of the court cases.
The anti-gay bill has been a contentious issue in Ghana, with President Nana Akufo-Addo announcing that he would not act on the bill unless it was approved by the Supreme Court.
The bill, which extends prison sentences and applies them not only to same-sex relations but also to anyone identifying as LGBTQ+, supporting LGBTQ+ people, or advocating for recognition of their human rights, has sparked widespread debate.
Human Rights Watch has criticized the bill, stating that it undermines Ghana’s human rights obligations.
The organization’s interim LGBT rights director, Rasha Younes, noted that the bill’s passage would “take persecution of sexual and gender minorities and their allies even further”.
The bill’s implications are far-reaching, with Ghana’s Ministry of Finance warning that it puts $3.8 billion in World Bank funding at risk and would likely derail a $3 billion International Monetary Fund bailout program agreed to in 2023.
-BY Daniel Bampoe