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

Former Head of Information and Public Affairs at Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, Kofi Tonto, has denied claims linking him to an alleged fraudulent scheme said to have occurred at the embassy.

In a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, Mr. Tonto rejected reports that he received US$800 from an alleged US$19 million fraud uncovered through a forensic audit conducted by the Ghana Audit Service.

According to him, he has never been involved in any fraudulent scheme, the sharing of illicit funds, or the receipt of ill-gotten money.

He stated that the audit report covering the period from 2017 to 2025 does not name him as a person of interest for investigation.

Mr. Tonto explained that the US$800 payment he received in July 2021 was a lawful child benefit package following the birth of his daughter in January 2021.

He noted that the payment was made under an existing practice at the embassy and that other staff members had also received similar benefits for various life events.

He argued that the one-time payment could not reasonably be used to suggest that he was complicit in the alleged fraud.

The former embassy official further stated that all compensations, allowances, benefits and refunds he received during his tenure between March 2019 and July 2021 were paid to him in good faith as an employee and in accordance with established procedures.

He maintained that he was never involved in decisions relating to the financial management of the embassy, including matters concerning the operation or closure of bank accounts.

Mr. Tonto urged his family, friends, admirers and the general public to disregard what he described as distorted narratives intended to falsely associate him with wrongdoing in the matter.

By: Jacob Aggrey