Godfred
Dame
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The
Attorney-General
Godfred
Dame
has
supported
the
request
by
Chief
Justice
Gertrude
Torkornoo
for
five
more
justices
of
the
Supreme
Court
to
be
appointed
to
make
it
twenty.
Godfred
Dame
says
that
appointing
more
justices
of
the
apex
court
is
not
only
constitutional
but
would
ensure
speedy
and
effective
justice,
minimise
delays
and
unnecessary
expense
and
conduce
to
the
general
efficient
administration
of
the
Supreme
Court.
“Given
the
breadth
of
the
multiplicity
of
jurisdictions
of
the
Supreme
Court,
the
request
for
the
increase
in
the
number
of
justices
serving
on
the
Supreme
Court
from
the
conventional
fifteen
(in
addition
to
the
Chief
Justice)
to
twenty,
is
not
only
constitutional
but
would
ensure
speedy
and
effective
justice,
minimise
delays
and
unnecessary
expense
and
conduce
to
the
general
efficient
administration
of
the
Supreme
Court,”
he
said
in
a
statement.
He
added
“Understandably,
the
permutations
in
the
constitution
of
the
panels,
almost
simultaneously,
could
be
daunting
for
effective
and
efficient
work
in
the
face
of
the
limited
number
of
Justices
at
the
Supreme
Court,
as
the
Court
is
incessantly
inundated
with
cases.”
Mr
Dame
observed
that
the
substantial
increase
in
the
backlog
of
414
and
595
cases
in
the
2021/2022
and
2022/2023
legal
years,
during
which
there
were
the
fewest
number
of
Justices
of
the
Supreme
Court
for
the
five-year
period
under
review,
provided
empirical
justification
for
the
need
to
expand
the
number
of
Justices
at
the
Supreme
Court
to
curb
the
rising
backlog
of
cases.
“The
enhancement
of
the
membership
of
the
Supreme
Court
to
twenty,
as
requested
in
the
brief
by
Her
Ladyship
the
Chief
Justice,
is
appropriate,”
he
added.
Read
his
full
statement
here
The
recommendations
by
the
Chief
Justice
raised
concerns
among
some
lawyers
and
analysts
including
a
Private
legal
Practitioner
Martin
Kpebu.
Mr
Kpebu
said
that
the
concerns
are
not
about
the
competence
of
the
names
that
have
come
up.
He
says
the
concerns
are
about
the
timing
and
the
procedure
for
the
appointments.
For
the
president
to
appoint
Supreme
Court
justices
there
has
to
be
a
recommendation
from
the
Judicial
Council
to
that
effect,
Kpebu
said.
Without
a
recommendation
from
the
Judicial
Council,
the
president
cannot
proceed
with
the
process
of
appointing
new
justices
of
the
apex
court,
he
added.
Kpebu
said
on
the
Key
Points
on
TV3
on
Saturday,
July
6
that
“There
must
be
a
recommendation
from
the
Judicial
Council…If
the
president
has
not
received
advice
from
the
judicial
council
he
cannot
start.”
He
added
“But
that
the
nominees
are
not
bad,
it
is
the
timing
that
is
bad.
These
are
fine
justices
but
it
is
about
procedure
and
timing,
this
debate
is
not
about
competence
at
all.”