Ghana’s Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred its ruling on a request to restrain parliament from transmitting a highly contested anti-LGBTQ bill to President Nana Akufo-Addo for his final approval.
The ruling means debate around the bill, which has dominated Ghana’s political discourse since parliament passed it in February, will be sidelined from the campaign for December’s presidential election race.
Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, chairing the five-member Supreme Court panel, said the court will expedite the case. But the case has been adjourned indefinitely, with no date set for further rulings.
Ghana’s Attorney-General Godfred Dame welcomed the court’s decision, telling the media: “I think the court is fair in coming by that approach.”
Two lawsuits are challenging the passage of the so-called “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill”, which has faced widespread international criticism for curbing human rights.
Broadcaster Richard Dela Sky is contesting the constitutionality of the bill, arguing it violates several provisions of the 1992 Constitution.
Amanda Odoi, the other plaintiff, is seeking a restraining order to prevent the parliament speaker, the attorney-general, and the clerk of parliament from sending the bill to President Akufo-Addo for approval.
The bill, which stipulates jail terms of six months to three years for engaging in LGBTQ sex and sentences of three to five years for promoting or sponsoring LGBTQ activities, has drawn condemnation from rights activists but gained wide support in the conservative West African state.
Ghana’s finance ministry has warned that the country, emerging from its worst economic crisis in decades and under a $3 billion loan programme from the International Monetary Fund, risks losing close to $3.8 billion in World Bank financing due to the bill.
Akufo-Addo, who is stepping down after two terms, has refused to approve the bill, citing the multiple court cases against it.
His ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) faces a tight race against the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the upcoming presidential ballot.
The bill, commonly referred to as the anti-gay bill, has faced widespread international condemnation, including from the United Nations, the United States, and the British government.
Despite this, it has significant support among MPs and is backed by a coalition of Christian, Muslim, and Ghanaian traditional leaders.
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