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Legal researcher challenges two month court vacation at Supreme Court
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A legal researcher and academic, Elorm Kwami Gorni, has filed a case at the Supreme Court challenging the two month legal vacation observed by Ghana’s Superior Courts.
He is asking the Supreme Court to declare the practice unconstitutional, arguing that the closure of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court for two months can delay the delivery of justice and limit access to the courts.
The case has been brought under Articles 2(1) and 130(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which provide avenues for constitutional interpretation and enforcement at the Supreme Court.
In Ghana, the Superior Courts observe an annual legal vacation from August 1 to September 30.
During this period, the High Court does not completely stop work. Special vacation courts are established to deal with urgent matters.
However, Mr Gorni argues that the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court do not sit during the period, meaning cases and applications before those courts generally have to wait until the end of the vacation.
According to Mr Gorni, the practice can cause unnecessary delays, particularly for people who need urgent decisions from the higher courts.
He argues that the arrangement affects the constitutional right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time under Article 19(1).
He relies on Articles 23, 33, 125 and 296, which deal with fair administrative justice, enforcement of fundamental rights, the administration of justice and the fair exercise of discretionary powers.
He contends that the courts must remain institutionally available to deal with cases in a timely manner, even during periods designated as legal vacation.
Among other reliefs, Mr Gorni wants the Supreme Court to declare that the legal vacation, to the extent that it suspends or substantially restricts the hearing of cases and causes undue delays, is inconsistent with the Constitution.
He is also challenging Rule 61(b) of the Court of Appeal Rules, 1997 (C.I. 19), and Rule 82 of the Supreme Court Rules, 1996 (C.I. 16), which provide for the vacation arrangements of the two courts.
He wants the court to strike down those provisions to the extent that they permit the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court to suspend their sittings for the two month period.
Mr Gorni is further asking the Supreme Court to direct the Chief Justice to introduce arrangements, including rotational vacation sittings, to allow the two courts to continue hearing and determining cases during the legal vacation.
The Supreme Court is expected to determine whether the current legal vacation arrangement is consistent with the constitutional requirement for timely access to justice.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has confirmed that Manhyia South MP and Senior Partner of Sarkodie, Baffour Awuah and Partners, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, voluntarily surrendered himself at its premises today.
In a statement release on Thursday October 1, EOCO said the MP reported at approximately 10 a.m. today to assist investigators with ongoing investigations.
“His appearance follows several months of efforts by the Office to secure his attendance before investigators,” the statement said.
EOCO said Baffour Awuah is being investigated over allegations relating to criminal conspiracy, financial loss to SIC Savings and Loans, money laundering, tax-related offences and other matters.
“The Office subsequently commenced the applicable investigative and operational procedures in respect of Mr. Baffour Awuah. In accordance with those procedures, Mr. Baffour Awuah was subsequently placed under arrest and is currently cooperating with investigators as the investigative process proceeds,” EOCO stated.
The Office assured the public that its investigations will progress professionally, independently and in accordance with due process.
“The Office will continue to pursue all relevant lines of inquiry, examine the available evidence and afford all persons involved their rights under the Constitution and applicable laws,” it added.
EOCO further urged the public to allow the investigative and judicial processes to proceed without speculation or premature conclusions about the culpability of any individual, adding that further information will be provided when it is appropriate and legally permissible to do so.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
President John Dramani Mahama will be joining African heads of state, business leaders, investors and innovators shaping Africa’s next chapter, at the inaugural Alamein Africa Forum scheduled to take place from 2nd to 4th October 2026 in the historic city of Alamein on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
The three-day Alamein Africa Forum is established as a permanent African Business Forum to convene biennially in Egypt.
It is to become the continent’s premier gathering where political power meets entrepreneurial prowess, bridging the established engines of African growth with the new sectors defining its future.
Co-organised by the Government of Egypt, African Export – Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union and AUDA-NEPAD, it is expected to bring together more than twenty (20) heads of state and government representatives alongside business leaders, bankers and development institutions.
Ghana’s President, who on 23rd September 2026 declared Ghana is open for business in New York after ringing the ceremonial closing bell at the Nasdaq Stock Market will be leading the Ghanaian delegation, to include the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu – Adjare, to the forum.
Other members of the Ghanaian delegation are the Head and Presidential Advisor for Ghana’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, Hon. Augustus Goosie Tanoh, Ghana’s Special Envoy to the Alliance of Sahel States, Colonel Larry Gbevlo – Lartey alongside key Ghanaian private sector players.
Bringing together leaders in politics, business and policy from across the continent, the Alamein Africa Forum will provide a unique opportunity to shape Africa’s growth agenda by aligning policy and investment priorities, mobilising partnerships for implementation and strengthening financing and investment pathways.
The private sector must become an integral part of Agenda 2063, the African Union’s strategic fifty-year masterplan to transform the continent. The private sector is the core economic engine required to turn the African 2063 from an aspirational government roadmap into realized infrastructure, jobs, and value-added trade.
By Chris KONEY
