Anti-LGBTQ bill: Your reaction to the bill violates the constitution — Justice Srem-Sai to Akufo-Addo 

Senior Lecturer at the GIMPA Law Faculty, Justice Srem-Sai, has said President Akufo-Addo's approach to the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, violates constitutional principles.

Parliament, on February 28, 2024, passed a bill which criminalizes LGBTQ activities.

According to the bill, those found guilty could face a jail term of 6 months to 3 years, while promoters and sponsors of the LGBTQI+ may incur a 3 to 5-year jail sentence.

The bill, however, has faced criticism from various quarters, including the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Evelyn Palmer.

Also, President Akufo-Addo recently disclosed during an engagement with members of the Diplomatic Corps that he would await the Supreme Court's ruling on the bill before deciding whether to assent it or not.

In an interview with Citi FM, Justice Srem-Sai emphasized that the Constitution provides specific timelines that must be adhered to.

He highlighted that within seven days of receiving a bill from the Speaker of Parliament, the President is obligated to indicate whether he intends to veto it.

"Within the first seven days after the president has received the bill from the Speaker of Parliament, he is bound to indicate whether he wants to veto the bill to the Speaker. Then, after another fourteen days, he is required to give his reservations about some of the provisions and why he wants to veto the bill, and that must be forwarded to the Speaker," Justice Srem-Sai explained.

He added, “The law also makes provisions for the bill to be sent to the Council of State, and in all these timelines, there is no space for the president to use his discretion to say that he is waiting for something else to happen before he vetoes the bill.

“So our point is that the president’s desire will basically be violating provisions of the constitution because the constitution gives him no power as to when he is supposed to act on a bill.”