Legal practitioner and media personality Richard Dela Sky has withdrawn his review application challenging the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly known as the anti-Gay bill.
During a Supreme Court session on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Sky’s lawyer, Paa Kwasi Abaidoo, formally notified the court of the decision to discontinue the case. Following this, the court dismissed the review application, which had sought to contest the legality of Parliament’s approval of the bill.
“We chose to let sleeping dogs lie, so we filed a notice of discontinuation,” Abaidoo explained.
Chief State Attorney Sylvia Adusu, representing the prosecution, raised no objections, stating, “We were ready to proceed, but since he has withdrawn, we have no opposition.”
A nine-member Supreme Court panel, led by Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, officially struck out the case but criticized Sky’s absence.
“We strongly object to the applicant’s absence. As a lawyer, he should have known that even after discontinuation, he was expected to be present in court. The application is struck out,” the panel declared.
Justice Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu questioned the necessity of convening nine justices only for the case to be withdrawn, while Justice Samuel Adibu-Asiedu emphasized that, as a legal professional, Sky should have attended the hearing.
With this ruling, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the bill’s constitutionality. The legislation, if enacted, would criminalize the promotion, advocacy, and financial support of LGBTQI+ activities in Ghana, imposing penalties on individuals or organizations involved in such efforts.
