The Supreme Court ruled that parliament’s ratification of the payment of salary allowances to the President and Vice-President’s wives from the consolidated budget was unconstitutional.
A seven-member panel convened by the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, ruled today that Ghana’s First and Second Ladies are not public office holders.
It further said that the Emolument Committee of Parliament is confined to proposing salary, perks, and privileges for public office holders.
This was the decision of the supreme court in the lawsuit brought by the Bono Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Kwame Baffoe alias Abronye D.
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Mr Abronye’s fourth relief, requesting that the Court declare that parliament cannot initiate or approve payment of any such emoluments, which must be paid from public funds, unless a bill to that effect is drafted, introduced by the government, and duly passed into law, was not granted.
Although the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs) for South Dayi Constituency, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, filed a similar suit, his reliefs, which centered on the recommendations of the Professor Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee, were dismissed, with just one granted.
The panel also included Justices Gabriel Pwamang, Avril Lovelace-Johnson, Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Barbara Ackah-Yensu, Samuel Kwame Adibu Asiedu, and Ernest Yao Gaewu.
