NANA KWARTENG PANIN AKOSA II AND OTHERS vs. THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2012]DLSC2679

Date	2012-05-22
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J1/4/2009
Citation No.	[2012]DLSC2679

ATUGUBA AG. C J (PRESIDING)

AKUFFO (MS) JSC

BROBBEY JSC

ANSAH JSC

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC

YEBOAH BONNIE JSC

GBADEGBE JSC

BAMFO (MRS) JSC

AYIKOI OTOO (WITH HIM WILSON JONES) FOR THE PLAINTIFFS.

SYLVESTER WILLIAMS (PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE DEFENDANT.

[2012]DLSC2679
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >NANA
KWARTENG PANIN AKOSA II AND OTHERS<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. J1/4/2009&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE:
22TH MAY, 2012<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>AYIKOI
OTOO (WITH HIM WILSON JONES) FOR THE PLAINTIFFS.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

SYLVESTER
WILLIAMS (PRINCIPAL STATE ATTORNEY) FOR THE DEFENDANT.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

ATUGUBA
AG. C J (PRESIDING), AKUFFO (MS) JSC, BROBBEY JSC, ANSAH JSC, ADINYIRA (MRS)
JSC, YEBOAH BONNIE JSC, GBADEGBE JSC, BAMFO (MRS) JSC<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>GBADEGBE JSC:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>The question for our decision in this case turns on
the law making power of Parliament in relation to the bringing into being of
subsidiary legislation under article 11(7) of the 1992 Constitution by which it
is provided thus:<o:p></o:p>“Any
Order, Rule or Regulation made by a person or authority under a power conferred
by this Constitution or any other law shall-<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; be
laid before Parliament;<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; be
published in the Gazette on the day it is laid before Parliament; and<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-fareast-font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;">(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; come
into force at the expiration of twenty-one sitting days after being so laid
unless Parliament, before the expiration of twenty-one days, annuls the Order,
Rule or Regulation by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members
of Parliament.”<o:p></o:p>The scope of the power conferred on Parliament
under article 11 (7) of the Constitution has been the subject of previous
determinations of this court in the unreported cases of Stephen Nii Bortey Okane v The Attorney General, numbered as
J1/2/2011 dated23 June 2011 and Nii
Tetteh Opremeh v the Attorney-General and Others, Suit No J1/3/2010 dated 07
December 2011. By the said decisions, this court held that there is no
authority in Parliament in the course of considering any Order, Rule or
Regulation so laid before it under the said article to purport toamend the
instrument. By amendment, we meant the doing of any act by Parliament that has
the effect of effecting any change whatsoever in the instrument so laid before
it in terms of the content as there is no such authority discernible from a
fair reading of article 11(7) of the Constitution by which the power is
conferred on the legislature in regard to the making of subsidiary legislation.
The restricted scope of Parliament’s authority is inherent in the fact of the
instrument that subsequently comes into law bearing the same number as that
which was laid before it. The practice of the instrument that subsequently
becomes law bearing the same title and number is clearly supportive of the
constitutional intendment of the legislature not making any changes and or
additions to what is laid before it although it does not take away Parliament’s
auth</main>