I'm No Longer NPP Member — Justice Gaewu | Politics

A Supreme Court nominee, Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, has advised the Appointments Committee of Parliament that he's now not a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He mentioned he resigned from the get together on September 16, 2020, and, subsequently, gave the peace of mind that if authorized as a justice of the apex courtroom, he would discharge his mandate devoid of any political interference.

Answering a query by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Bodi, Sampson Ahi, who wished to know what his place can be if a case involving the NPP and the NDC was introduced earlier than him as a justice of the Supreme Court, the nominee gave an assurance that he would stay a impartial arbiter in all instances involving the NPP and the NDC.

Questions

The nominee responded to numerous questions from the 25-member committee, chaired by the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu.

The questions pertained to interference by the Supreme Court within the mandate of the legislature; whether or not the Standing Orders of Parliament have been in battle with the Constitution; his views on whether or not the Deputy Speaker shaped a part of quorum in decision-making in Parliament; his views on the integrity of the Judiciary; the dying penalty and compliance with the asset declaration regulation.

Per the curriculum vitae of the nominee, whereas he was in personal follow as a lawyer, he was politically energetic, notably between 2009 and 2016, having served as a constituency chairman and parliamentary candidate of the NPP within the Ho West and the Ho Central constituencies .

Neutral referee

Justice Gaewu mentioned whereas there have been no provisions within the Constitution that barred a justice of the High Court from being a member of a political get together, the style through which the Judiciary was created required one to be “a neutral arbiter”.

He mentioned there was no means a justice of the courtroom may belong to a political get together.

Agreeing that the Constitution itself was a political doc and that each determination a decide made contained some quantity of politics that could possibly be personal, he, nevertheless, mentioned judges have been barred from being partisan.

Supreme Court rulings

His views have been sought on the latest ruling by the Supreme Court that gave the notion in sure circles that the Judiciary was interfering within the mandate of the Legislature.

Responding, Justice Gaewu mentioned he didn't essentially share the view that the apex courtroom was interfering within the mandate of the Legislature.

Experience

When he was quizzed if he had the expertise to imagine the best workplace of a justice of the Supreme Court, provided that he had been a justice of the High Court for simply two years following his appointment in September 2020, Justice Gaewu mentioned: “I have the required and requisite experience to sit as a justice of the Supreme Court.”

“The qualification is 15 years at the bar, but I have 22 years' qualification and I am not the first person to have ever been appointed. There are people who are appointed straight from the bar without any judicial or bench experience; I have been on the bench and I already have the necessary experience to sit there,” he mentioned.

Judicial independence

On what should be performed to insulate the Judiciary from political affect, the nominee mentioned the Constitution supplied for the executive, judicial and monetary independence of the Judiciary.

He, nevertheless, mentioned whereas the 2 first impartial components have been assured “I cannot speak on financial independence of the Judiciary”.

On the query whether or not he did adjust to the regulation on asset declaration when he was appointed a justice of the High Court, Mr Justice Gaewu mentioned “I did”.

justice asiadu vetted

Earlier, one other nominee, Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu Asiedu, had advised that reasonably than worsening the present overcrowding state of affairs within the prisons, suspects needs to be engaged in neighborhood service, particularly of their communities.

To him, that will assist decongest the prisons and in addition function a deterrent to suspects who is likely to be uncomfortable being seen by members of their very own communities doing such train.

Answering questions requested by the committee, Justice Asiedu, who's at the moment a justice of the Court of Appeal, mentioned as a part of measures to free the prisons, suspects who commit minor crimes may even be allowed to go to dwelling throughout weekends to train their conjugal rights .

Law School Admission

Commenting on the admission system to the Ghana School of Law, the nominee mentioned lack of infrastructure was the reason for the restrictive admission course of.

When the chairman of the committee advised to the nominee that bodily infrastructure couldn't be a barrier to review this system as a result of it needs to be potential to entry schooling with out bodily being current, Justice Asiedu mentioned this system was such that one couldn't merely keep at dwelling , learn and are available and write the examinations however would wish bodily coaching to arrange college students to carry out.