Sophia Akuffo calls for limits on Supreme Court interlocutory appeals to avoid unnecessary delays

Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has called for stricter limits on appeals to the Supreme Court, particularly interlocutory appeals, which she says are contributing to delays in the administration of justice.

She argued that some cases are unnecessarily taken to the apex court on issues arising in the course of proceedings, even though the substantive cases remain pending before the High Court.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, Madam Akuffo said such appeals could prolong legal proceedings and prevent cases from being resolved within a reasonable time.

“Sometimes there are also some matters which come to the Supreme Court only on what is called interlocutory appeal, which is so unnecessary and shouldn’t have come to the Supreme Court because the case itself might still be in the High Court,” she said.

According to the former Chief Justice, interlocutory appeals can remain before the Supreme Court for years, creating further delays in determining the substantive matters before lower courts.

She therefore advocated for a greater number of cases to end at the Court of Appeal, particularly where the matters do not involve significant constitutional questions or raise new issues of law.

“A lot of other matters should end in the Court of Appeals if they don’t raise new issues or very sensitive constitutional issues,” she said.

Madam Akuffo maintained that limiting unnecessary appeals to the Supreme Court would help reduce delays and improve the efficiency of Ghana’s justice delivery system.