The Supreme Court has granted an application for a stay of execution of a Court of Appeal judgment directing the promotion of 40 police chief inspectors who were excluded from a special promotion exercise.
The court, presided over by Justice Gabriel Pwamang, granted the application when the case was heard on Wednesday, October 14, 2026.
The application sought to suspend the execution of the Court of Appeal’s judgment of January 27, 2026, pending the determination of an appeal against the decision.
The case, involving Chief Inspector Christopher Okpattah and 39 others against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney-General, arose from the officers’ exclusion from a special promotion exercise for police personnel who had obtained university degrees while in service.
Arguments
At the hearing, Akawari Attindam, a Senior State Attorney, relied on the affidavit in support of the application for a stay of execution.
The court observed that implementing the Court of Appeal’s judgment before the appeal was determined could disrupt the administrative process if the applicants succeeded in the appeal.
It added that if the appeal failed, the officers’ promotions would be backdated to the date of the Court of Appeal’s judgment.
Counsel for the Police, Henry Ohene Kumi, agreed with the court’s observation but argued that some of the officers were due for retirement.
He said that if the officers succeeded in the appeal, they would not benefit from the promotions before the appeal was determined.
Ruling
In its ruling, the court said it had considered the affidavit in support of the application and the affidavit in opposition before arriving at its decision.
“Upon reading the affidavit in support of this case and affidavit in opposition, we are of the opinion that the respondents stand to suffer lesser inconvenience than the applicant in this case,” the court said.
“Accordingly, we hereby grant the application for stay of execution of the judgment of the Court of Appeal dated January 27, 2026,” it added.
The order suspends the execution of the Court of Appeal’s judgment pending the determination of the appeal.
Background
The 40 chief inspectors sued the IGP, the Police Management Board and the Attorney-General after they were excluded from a special promotion exercise involving police officers who had obtained university degrees.
They challenged their exclusion from the exercise, arguing that they had met the relevant requirements for consideration.
The Kumasi High Court dismissed their case. However, the Court of Appeal overturned that decision and ordered the relevant authorities to take steps to promote the officers and grant them the associated entitlements.
