Supreme Court throws out Abronye’s suit against ‘double-salaried’ MPs

The Supreme Court has thrown out the Bono East New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, Kwame Baffoe’s lawsuit concerning double salaries paid out to MPs who also served as Ministers in the Mahama administration.

The court said its jurisdiction had not been adequately invoked, and that specific constitutional provisions in articles 78 and 98 called into question did not actually require interpretation.

Mr. Baffoe, also known as Abronye DC, went to the Supreme Court to get the MPs who served as ministers to pay back the double salaries they had received while serving their dual capacities.

The Attorney General’s department however raised objections to the suit in court on Wednesday, arguing that the reliefs sought did not raise any issues of interpretation or enforcement.

The Attorney General urged the Court to strike out the application, as it did not properly invoke the original jurisdiction of the land’s highest court.

Reading the ruling of the Court, His Lordship Nene Amegatcher said “the writ has no merit or whatsoever, and it is hereby dismissed.”

The president said the Court was minded to award costs personally against lawyers for Abronye DC “due to the frivolous nature of the writ”.

His Lordship, however, said the Court was persuaded against the action so as “not to discourage Ghanaians from filing constitutional cases.”

The other members of the Court were Justices Nii Ashie Kotey, Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Torkornoo, Amadu Tanko, Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu and Yonny Kulendi.

Responding to the court’s decision, Mr. Baffoe said he was not disturbed or disappointed.

“We are going to put our house in order and come back. Either we are coming back to the Supreme Court for enforcement instead of interpretation, or we will go to the High Court to seek for relief that the said payment was illegal,” he added.