The Supreme Court has granted a seven-day extension to the legal team representing the Speaker of Parliament, allowing them additional time to file their defense in Richard Sky’s lawsuit challenging the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
Both the Speaker and the Attorney General, who are defendants in the case, missed the initial deadline for submitting their defenses.
Raphael Banaangman, the Speaker’s lawyer, explained in court that the delay was unintentional and requested the court not to penalize his client for the oversight.
Lawyers for the Attorney General also informed the court that their defense submission is pending the attachment of Parliament’s fiscal impact analysis of the bill.
Although Richard Sky’s legal team did not oppose the extension request, they emphasized that they are not to blame for the delay in resolving the case.
The Supreme Court, after hearing the arguments, approved the seven-day extension for the Speaker to submit the defense.
Following the court proceedings, Paa Kwesi Abaidoo, Richard Sky’s lawyer, informed the media that the memoranda of issues could only be prepared after the defendants have filed their defenses.
“You must have heard concerns raised by me this morning when I sort the leave of the court to discard the notion that the plaintiffs are the ones orchestrating a delay in the hearing of this case. My reason for doing so was very clear.
“At the ordinary sitting of the Supreme Court on July 17, 2024, my contention was upheld by the Supreme Court that until the defendants filed their statement of the case, we, the plaintiffs, will not be in a position to distil issues for the filing of a memorandum of issues.
“You will agree with me that this morning’s application by the first defendant was to the effect that they have not filed and require some extension of time to file, meaning that the delay is not orchestrated by us and so I don’t know why someone should give the impression that it is us [the plaintiffs] delaying the process.”