Sam George criticizes Chief Justice and leads protest against delay in Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill hearing
Co-sponsor of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, Sam George, has publicly criticized Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, accusing her of intentionally delaying the Supreme Court’s hearing on the controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill, which aims to prevent the President from signing it into law. Sam George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, led a protest on Tuesday, October 8, calling for the immediate scheduling of the case.
The demonstration was organized to pressure the Judiciary to hasten the hearing process. During an interview with “JoyNews”, Sam George expressed his frustration, saying, “They say the wheels of justice grind slow, but in this instance, the wheels of justice are not grinding. The Chief Justice has become an impediment to the wheels of justice.”
He urged Chief Justice Torkornoo to step aside if she could not handle the case. “The Chief Justice must either take herself out and allow justice to be done, or the people will take her out,” he said.
Sam George also revealed plans to submit a petition to both the Attorney General and the Chief Justice, demanding action on the case. He stated, “We will compel them, we will continue to raise the heat, the Chief Justice has no option. She should stop calling people and trying to get people to get into meetings to stop this. It will happen; she must either do her job or vacate her office for someone willing to do her job.”
In response, the Judicial Service of Ghana (JSG) issued a statement clarifying that the cases connected to the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, are not yet ready for hearing. The JSG noted that the defendants—Richard Sky, Amanda Odoi, and Rockson-Nelson Etse K. Dafeamekpor—have not submitted their statements of the case between October 3 and 7, 2024. Additionally, no individual or joint communication of issues had been filed, further delaying the proceedings.
As tensions rise, Sam George and his supporters continue to push for the bill’s swift consideration.
