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President taps Justice Anin Yeboah as Chief Justice

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has nominated a Supreme Court Judge, Justice Anin Yeboah, as the next Chief Justice of the Republic. 

Justice Yeboah’s nomination, subject to Parliamentary approval, is in line with Article 144(1) of the 1992 Constitution. 

“The Chief Justice shall be appointed by the President, acting in consultation with the Council of State and with the approval of Parliament,” the provision stipulates. 

The nomination is in anticipation of the imminent retirement of the current Chief Justice, Sophia Abena Boafoa Akuffo, on December 20, 2019.

The First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu, who read the communication from the President to the Speaker on the floor of the House yesterday referred the nomination letter to the Appointments Committee of the House for consideration. 

In a communique, President Akufo-Addo said he was confident in Justice Yeboah’s capacity to eminently occupy the office of Ghana’s Chief Justice, adding that he had consulted the Council of State, as demanded by law, prior to the nomination of Justice Yeboah.

“In order to avoid a vacuum in the office of the Chief Justice following (the) retirement (of Justice Sophia Akuffo), I decided to initiate the processes for the appointment of her successor. 

“To that end, a letter dated December 2, 2018, pursuant to Article 144(1) of the Constitution, I consulted with the Council of State on my nominee, Mr Justice Anin Yeboah, who has been at the Supreme Court for the last 11 years and five years on the Court of Appeal prior to that, to succeed Chief Justice Akuffo.”

“The Council of Elders have notified me by letter under the hand of the Chairperson, dated 11th December 2019, of the successful completion of the consultation process. Thus, in accordance to Article 144(1) of the constitution, I write to inform you that I have nominated Justice Anin Yeboah for approval by Parliament as the next Chief Justice. 

“I’m fully satisfied that Justice Anin Yeboah is qualified and eminently fit to occupy the office of Chief Justice.”

Justice Yeboah, the fourth longest-serving Justice of the Supreme Court, was appointed by former President John Agyekum Kufuor in June 2008. 

Justice Yeboah,  a part-time lecturer in Civil Procedure and the Ghana Legal System at the Ghana School of Law, also served as a Justice of the High Court and Court of Appeal from 2002 to 2003 and 2003 to 2008 respectively. 

The nominee, a football enthusiast, is also the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) following his appointment in May 2017. 

Justice Yeboah also served as the Chairman of the Appeal’s Committee of the Ghana Football Association from 2004 to 2008.

If approved by Parliament, Justice Yeboah, a graduate of the Ghana School of Law in 1981, would be the first male Chief Justice in 12 years. 

BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI 

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