Accra: The Supreme Court has struck out Richard Sky's review application contesting the passage of Ghana's anti-gay bill. This decision comes after Mr. Sky's lawyer, Paa Kwesi Abaidoo, informed the apex court of their decision to 'let sleeping dogs lie.'
According to Ghana News Agency, Paa Kwesi Abaidoo told the nine-member panel, "We are withdrawing the review application. We have filed a notice of discontinuation." Dr. Sylvia Adisu, Chief State Attorney, indicated that there was no objection to the discontinuation of the case. However, she expressed dissatisfaction that the plaintiff's lawyer was aware of the decision to withdraw yet brought everyone to court that morning only to announce the discontinuation. Dr. Adisu subsequently requested the court to award costs against Mr. Sky.
The court inquired from the counsel why Mr. Sky, who is also a lawyer, failed to appear in court. Professor Henrietta Mensah Bonsu criticized the plaintiff's discontinuation as 'justice abuse,' emphasizing that the plaintiff had unnecessarily involved the judges and others by bringing them to court just to announce the case's withdrawal.
Other justices of the Court highlighted that the matter was constitutional and of public interest, not only to Ghanaians but also to people outside the country. Presiding Justice Paul Baffoe Bonney thus struck out the matter as withdrawn.
Mr. Sky had approached the Supreme Court with the review application after the Court had initially ruled that its jurisdiction had not been properly invoked. The Court had also determined that the plaintiff's case was premature, as the anti-gay bill had not yet been passed into law.
In 2024, the Parliament of Ghana passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, which criminalizes and prohibits pro-gay advocacy and punishes individuals and institutions supporting transgender and bisexual persons, among others.
