An Accra High Court has postponed the lawsuit challenging the processes in the passage of the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, which was filed by private citizen Paul Boama-Sefa, a farmer.
Mr. Boama-Sefa took legal action against the Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney General, seeking to restrain Parliament from continuing with the passage and procedures related to the bill. The plaintiff argued that certain provisions of the constitution were violated in how Parliament handled the anti-LGBTQ bill.
During the court proceedings, Paul Boama-Sefa’s legal team, led by Benedict Nii Kraku, requested an extension of 4 weeks to file their written submissions. The attorneys representing the Attorney-General and the Speaker also asked for time to file their submissions.
Presiding Judge Ellen Mireku granted the requests and instructed all parties to submit their written arguments within the four-week period. The hearing was adjourned to July 29, 2024.
The lawsuit is based on Section 100(1) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), which stipulates that any legislation presented to Parliament must include a fiscal impact analysis detailing the expected financial implications for the upcoming financial year.
The plaintiff contends that the Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney-General failed to comply with this requirement, rendering all processes leading to the bill’s passage invalid and void. The lawsuit, filed in May 2023, also seeks to prevent the Speaker, his deputies, and others from progressing with any actions related to the bill until the fiscal impact analysis is provided.
