Investigative Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has revealed a shocking fact about how a Supreme Court Judge was appointed to appease another.
According to Manasseh Azure, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, told him in a recorded interview for his book that a Supreme Court judge called him after NPP won the 2020 election. He declined to name the Supreme Court judge, but other sources named him, and he Manasseh confirmed.
In a write on X, Manasseh Azure wrote, “President Akufo-Addo had told the judge to resign and prepare to be named the next Speaker of Parliament. The judge was asked to call Joe Osei-Owusu for guidance before the vote”.
“The judge asked for an official letter based on which to resign from the Supreme Court. While he waited, pressure mounted on Akufo-Addo to stick with Prof. Michael Aaron Oquaye as the Speaker of Parliament. Part of the argument for Mike Oquaye was due to Martin Amidu”, he wrote on X.
Manasseh further stated, “Having disappointed the Supreme Court judge twice, in Chief Justice and Speaker of Parliament appointments, a source close to the president said he appointed a protege of the Supreme Court judge to the Supreme Court. This was to appease the senior judge”.
The investigative Journalist further revealed that the man appointed to the Supreme Court was managing the private law firm of the Supreme Court judge Akufo-Addo wanted to be Speaker of Parliament. Besides being a lawyer, he was also a staunch NPP politician.
He added, “In 2016, this man was an NPP parliamentary candidate. In 2024, he was one of the Supreme Court judges empaneled by the Chief Justice to determine the case against the Speaker of Parliament, whose ruling the NPP side of the House disagreed with”.
Although Manasseh in his write-up on X did not mention any names, Justice Gaewu has been identified as the Supreme Court Judge with prior political ties with the New Patriotic Party by being an NPP member of parliament.
Meanwhile, Speaker Bagbin filed a motion to have Justice Gaewu recuse himself from the panel to hear the case on whether the apex court could set aside his declaration of four seats vacant in parliament.
Legal representative Speaker Bagbin, Thaddeus Sory asserted that Justice Gaewu’s prior political ties with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presented a conflict of interest.
The Supreme Court has, however, dismissed the motion filed.
See his post below:
The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, told me in a recorded interview for my book that a Supreme Court judge called him after NPP won the 2020 election. He declined to name the Supreme Court judge, but other sources named him, and I confirmed.
President… pic.twitter.com/iiXDyFsAir
— Manasseh Azure Awuni (@Manasseh_Azure) October 31, 2024
