The Office of the President has directed Parliament to desist from presenting the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, popularly known as the Anti-Gay Bill, for presidential assent.
The directive was conveyed through a letter signed on March 18, 2024, by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, addressed to the Clerk of Parliament.
The letter outlined the Presidency’s awareness of Parliament’s intention to submit the Anti-Gay Bill for presidential assent during its retreat at Peduase on March 14, 2024. It also highlighted the existence of two interlocutory injunctions issued on March 7, 2024, preventing the Speaker from transmitting the bill to the President and the President from granting his assent.
“The Office is aware of two pending applications for an order of interlocutory injunction, both filed on 7th March 2024 in the Supreme Court in Dr. Amanda v. The Speaker of Parliament and The Attorney-General(11/13/2023) and Richard Sky v. The Parliament of Ghana and The Attorney-General(11\9\2024) respectively, to restrain you and Parliament from transmitting the Bill to the President and, also, to restrain the President from signifying his assent to the Bill, pending the final determination of the matter,” the letter stated.
Moreover, the letter revealed that the Attorney-General had advised the Presidency to refrain from any involvement with the Bill and urged Parliament to withhold sending the Bill for presidential assent until the Supreme Court reaches a final verdict on the pending legal challenges.
“The Attorney-General has, by letter dated 18th March, 2024, informed the President that he has been duly served with both applications and has advised the President not to take any step in relation to the Bill until matters raised by suits are determined by the Supreme Court. In the circumstances, you are kindly requested to cease from transmitting the Bill to the President until the matters before the Supreme Court are resolved,” it concluded.
