The Supreme Court has instructed the legal representatives of the Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney General to submit their defense documents regarding the lawsuit filed by lawyer and broadcaster Richard Dela Sky against the anti-LGBTQ bill within the next seven days.
The hearing of this case has faced delays since July, with supporters of the anti-LGBTQ bill attributing the holdups to the judiciary.
However, during a court session on Thursday morning, Speaker of Parliament’s lawyer, Raphael Banaaagman, acknowledged his oversight in not filing the necessary documents for the proceedings to continue.
“We acknowledge our fault in this matter and request that it does not negatively impact the applicant. We are prepared to file our statement of case as soon as the court permits,” Banaaagman stated.
He subsequently submitted a request for additional time to complete the filing.
The Chief State Attorney, representing the Attorney General, informed the court that their inability to file documents was due to the delays caused by the Speaker’s legal team but expressed no opposition to the request for more time.
Paa Kwesi Abaidoo, counsel for Richard Dela Sky, took the opportunity to refute claims that the plaintiffs were responsible for the delays. “We do not oppose the request.
However, it should be noted that on July 17, 2024, this court acknowledged that the defendants’ failure to file their statement of case hindered my ability to submit my memorandum of issues. Contrary to public belief, we are not causing the delays,” he clarified.
Justice Yaw Darko Asare granted the request, allowing the lawyers to file their processes within the stipulated seven-day period.
