Supreme Court gives Speaker seven days to file statement of defence in Anti-LGBTG+ case

The Speaker of Parliament has been given seven days by the Supreme Court to file his statement of defence in the Anti LGBTQ case filed by Richard Dela Sky.

A motion for an extension of time filed by Raphael Banaangman, lawyer for the Speaker of Parliament (a defendant), informed the apex court of their inability to file the statement of defence.

According to the counsel, their inability to file the statement of defence was not borne out of disrespect to the Court.

He, therefore, evoked the powers of the Supreme Court, under the rules of the Court and pleaded for extension of time and urged the Court not to visit their “sins on their client”.

The counsel said it hoped to file a statement of defence within the shortest possible time.

In the case of the Attorney General who is the second defendant in the case, Ms Sylvia Adusei, a Chief State Attorney, indicated that it would need the fiscal impact analysis from Parliament before it could submit its statement.

Counsel for Richard Sky, Mr Paa Kwesi Abaidoo, told the court that they were not responsible  for delays in the matter, adding, it did not oppose the application for extension of time.

Richard Dela Sky is at the apex court challenging the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.

He is seeking a declaration that the Bill passed by Parliament breached several provisions of the 1992 Constitution and the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Source: GNA