By: Kekeli K. Blamey
The Supreme Court has given the Speaker of Parliament an additional seven days to file a statement of defense in the ongoing Richard Sky suit challenging the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
This comes after the Speaker and the Attorney General missed the initial deadline for submitting their defenses.
According to Raphael Banaangman, the lawyer for the Speaker of Parliament, the failure to submit the defense was not intended to disrespect the court.
He urged the court not to penalize his client for the delay.
On the other hand, lawyers from the Attorney General’s office explained that they cannot submit their statement of defense until Parliament attaches the fiscal impact analysis of the bill.
Lawyers for Richard Sky did not oppose the extension but clarified that they are not responsible for the delay in resolving the case.
Paa Kwesi Abaidoo, representing Richard Sky, noted that memoranda of issues can only be filed after the defenses have been submitted.
He emphasized that the delay is not caused by the plaintiffs, citing the Supreme Court’s ruling on July 17, 2024, that the defendants must file their statement of case before the plaintiffs can proceed.
This development is the latest in the contentious anti-LGBTQ+ bill, which has sparked heated debates and opposition from various groups.
The bill, also known as the Human Sexual Values Bill, 2021, aims to restrict LGBTQ+ activities and has been criticized for promoting discrimination and violence against sexual minorities.
