Flood of Petitions Sparks Call for Presidential Gatekeeping — ‘Judiciary Is Not a Dumping Ground!
A demand for a constitutional amendment has been made by Dickson Kyere-Duah, a Member of Parliament for the Berekum West Constituency. This change would enable the President to examine and filter petitions that seek to remove high-ranking public officials, including the Special Prosecutor. This was done in response to a surge of sixteen petitions that were filed against Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng. He claims that these petitions have the potential to overwhelm the Chief Justice, who, according to the law, is expected to consider each and every petition and initiate the process of inquiry. Kyere-Duah is of the opinion that the system permits complaints that are frivolous or politically motivated, which results in undue pressure being placed on the Judiciary. This already operates under stringent deadlines for every case. He cautioned that should petitions that are similar to the ones that were filed against other officials, such as those from the Electoral Commission or the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), be submitted, it could result in the disruption of the Judiciary’s regular operations. Despite the fact that he acknowledges that no laws are being violated, he makes the case that the implementation of a procedure that screens candidates for the presidency will aid in the prevention of abuses of the system and in the reduction of the strain placed on the courts.
