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Supreme Court defers ruling on injunction applications on anti-LGBTQ Bill
The Supreme Court has deferred the ruling on the injunction application by Dr Amanda Odoi and Broadcast Journalist, Richard Sky to the transmission of the anti-LGBTQ bill to the President and rather deliver the ruling on the same day the final judgement will be given.
The five-member panel, chaired by Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo stated that the court has thus agreed to make an early trial into the case as that will better serve the purpose of Justice.
The ruling on the two injunction application was delivered separately by the Supreme Court. The case has since been adjourned sine die.
The two lawsuits filed by Broadcast Journalist, Richard Dela Sky, and Researcher, Dr Amanda Odoi are against Parliament’s passage of the controversial anti-gay bill.
Mr Sky is challenging the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, and he is seeking a declaration that the bill passed by Parliament breaches several provisions of the 1992 constitution and violates the country’s laws and the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the constitution.
Dr Odoi has raised concerns about specific provisions in the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.
She is also seeking a restraining order to prevent the Speaker, the Attorney General, and the Clerk of Parliament from sending the bill to President Akufo-Addo for his approval.
At the last hearing Counsel for Amanda Odoi, Dr Ernest Ackon, argued that the bill, if approved, imposes a direct charge on public funds, violating Article 108. He also pointed out the lack of a fiscal impact analysis before the bill was sent to the President.
The Attorney-General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, the second respondent, argued that the Speaker’s discretion is not unconstrained by the constitution, hence warranting the apex court’s decision on the injunction application
Plaintiff Dr. Amanda Odoi seeks an injunction to stop the Speaker from transmitting the bill to the President.
The first Defendant on the case led by Counsel for the Speaker of Parliament Thaddeus Sory on his part, argued that the claims of the applicant regarding the need for a fiscal impact analysis were not supported by the constitution especially when the bill did not expressly say it will impose a charge on the consolidated fund.
According to him, the substance of the interlocutory injunction was not significantly different from a previous one filed by the plaintiffs and dismissed by the courts
He further argued that the transmission of the bill from the Speaker of Parliament to the President for him to assent is still an ongoing process that hasn’t been completed and, hence wasn’t within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to deliberate on the matter.
He called on the court to dismiss the application before the bench.
The Supreme Court, chaired by Her Ladyship Gertrude Torkonoo, is currently hearing the Richard Dela Sky case.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
The spokesperson for Okuapehene, Ohenenana B.S. Opoku, has dismissed social media reports that there is insecurity in Okuapemam and for that matter an indefinite ban has been placed on the celebration of this year’s annual Odwira Festival.
Ohenenana Opoku, who is also a member of the Odwira Festival Planning Committee, said Odwira would be celebrated and all the necessary arrangements have been made for a peaceful celebration.
According to him, there is no merit in all the allegations on the media space because there has not been any chieftaincy dispute in any of the divisional heads in the area.
“There is absolute peace in Okuapeman, therefore, all Okuapeman citizens living in Ghana and abroad should come home to celebrate the Odwira Festival.”
In a press briefing at the Okuapeman Palace in Akropong on Friday, Ohenenana Opoku described the allegations as false, stating that all the divisional chiefs have been gazetted and recognised in Ghana’s Chieftaincy records.
He said Okuapemam has been celebrating Odwira Festival for the past five years under the leadership of Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III without any dispute.
He emphasised that Okuapeman constitutes 17 major towns with their own chiefs under Okuapemanhene and that nobody has the right to ban or stop any chief from celebrating it.
Ohenenana Opoku appealed to the people of Ghana to come and enjoy the Akuapem Odwira Festival which is one of the best cultures in Ghana.
In view of that, the Yagbonwura, Bii-Kunuto Jewu Saole, has accepted to grace the festival as the special guest of honour.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
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Childdren and pregnant women in Ghana are unknowingly being exposed to toxic levels of lead in everyday products, a new study by UNICEF and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has revealed.
The nationwide study, which covered all 16 regions, found dangerous levels of lead contamination in items such as cosmetics, food, and household products, posing significant threat to public health, particularly to children and women of childbearing age.
A statement on the report copied to The Spectator in Accra on Monday explained that several commonly used items contained alarmingly high concentrations of lead.
Lead, a heavy metal used in batteries, paints, ceramics, and other industrial materials, is highly toxic even in small quantities.
Experts warn that it can cause irreversible brain damage, developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioural problems in children.
The study stressed that there were no safe levels of lead in the human body.
Traditional eyeliners known locally as kaji kaji or kholi, which many mothers use to brighten their children’s eyes, had contamination levels tens of thousands exceeding permissible limits.
White baked clay, called shire, ayilor, or farinkasa and commonly consumed by pregnant women to ease nausea, also tested positive for lead contamination in about 25 per cent of samples, with the highest rates recorded in the North East and Greater Accra regions.
Ground turmeric, a staple spice used across Ghana, was found to be contaminated in 42 per cent of samples, with particularly high levels in the Greater Accra (84 per cent), Central (75 per cent), and Bono (60 per cent) regions.
Similarly, locally prepared corn-based cereal (Tom Brown) showed lead contamination in 4.4 per cent of samples, mostly from the Eastern Region.
Old plumbing systems and certain cookware were also identified as possible sources of exposure, as lead can leak into drinking water or food during cooking.
The health impacts are severe. Lead exposure can cause anaemia, stunted growth, hearing loss, seizures, and pregnancy complications such as low birth weight and miscarriage.
UNICEF has, therefore, called for immediate national action to address the crisis, calling for public awareness campaigns, stricter enforcement of product safety standards, and routine screening for lead exposure, especially among vulnerable groups.
UNICEF reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Government of Ghana and relevant partners to eliminate lead exposure and safeguard the health of every woman and child.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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