Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has urged stakeholders to be patient and allow the Supreme Court to reach a decision on the anti-LGBTQI bill that is acceptable to all parties.
He noted that this bill is not unique in experiencing delays, citing the e-levy, which also faced a slow process but was ultimately approved.
“The anti-gay is not the only bill that will go through the process, we had the e-levy.
“Ghana is not dying so lets’s wait and allow the Supreme court to come out with a decision that will be accepted by all,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, July 20.
Kpebu, however, expressed skepticism about the anti-LGBTQI bill becoming law. He indicated that the chances of the bill passing are slim and suggested that it would require a miracle to be enacted.
He explained, “Given the current situation, the chances of this bill becoming law are high. We are heading into a judicial holiday on July 31, followed by a legal vacation in mid-October. This means the Supreme Court will not address the matter during this period.”
“Lawyers are going on vacation they will deal with only emergency cases. But this gay bill does not qualify as an emergency case.
“The court will resume hearing after mid-October but there are still quite a number of steps to take before the court comes with a decision, so practically this bill is not likely to become law.”
Mr. Dafeamekpor explained that if the substantive case takes two years to resolve, the bill cannot be sent to the President during that time.
“It is unfortunate that this is happening, especially at the highest level of our judiciary, the Supreme Court. This could set a precedent for lower courts to follow, which is not a positive development,” he said on TV3’s Key Points on Saturday, July 20.
He argued that the Supreme Court’s decision to delay the ruling effectively supports the application against transmitting the bill to the President.
