Parliament’s Appointments Committee will today [Friday], June 16, 2017, vet Justice Sophia Akuffo, President Akufo-Addo’s nominee for the position of Chief Justice.
The Appointments Committee had earlier set June 19 for the vetting, but announced on Tuesday, June 13, that it had to reschedule the vetting to this week to avoid keeping the position vacant for long.
The first Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu, told pressmen that it was necessary to fast-track the vetting to ensure that Justice Akuffo, when approved, fills in the position ahead of the retirement of the acting Chief Justice, William Atuguba.
“The Chief Justice [Georgina Theodora Wood] has retired already… a vacuum, so to speak, has been created because the next available senior [Justice William Atuguba] is also due to retire in a few days from now. We considered all the circumstances and as a committee, we reviewed the fact that to date, no petition has been brought against the CJ nominee. It may be helpful to abridge the time and do it as quickly as possible.
“That will enable us to take the whole day [on Friday] and use the weekend to prepare a report and probably by Monday we’ll be ready for the report to be considered by the plenary,” Joe Osei Owusu said.
He added that, “This week, she [Sophia Akuffo] may not be able to start work, but beginning next week, she may be able to start work in full and administration of justice can then continue without any vacuum.”
President Akufo-Addo last month announced Justice Sophia Akuffo as his choice of successor of Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood who retired on June 8, 2017.
