In response to calls for the swift hearing of the suits challenging the law, the Judicial Service clarified that it is not the court’s actions causing the delay.
Instead, the delay stems from the parties involved in the suit failing to file the required statements.
“For the Supreme Court to hear any case, the parties are required to file their respective pleadings in the form of a statement of case within the timelines provided for by the Supreme Court Rules, 1996 (CJ 16),” a statement from the Judicial Service explained.
“As the two communications issued earlier stated, Parliament and the parties have not complied with the requirements that allow a trial of the case raised by the Plaintiffs.”
The service urged all involved parties to submit their pleadings promptly to allow the case to move forward. “Attach the urgency to this case as shown in the petition and file the necessary processes for the cases to be heard,” it added.
In February 2024, Ghana’s Parliament passed the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill.
The law, which is awaiting presidential assent, bans LGBTQ+ activities and criminalizes their promotion, advocacy, and funding.
Offenders could face jail terms ranging from six months to three years, with promoters subject to three to five years in prison.
The bill is now in the hands of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who must assent to it for it to become law. If he refuses, Parliament can still pass it by a two-thirds majority.
However, the President has directed Parliament not to proceed with the bill’s transmission until the two legal challenges against it are resolved in the Supreme Court.
