Supreme Court puts promotion order for 40 police chief inspectors on hold
The Supreme Court has suspended an order to promote 40 police chief inspectors while it considers an appeal. The officers challenged their exclusion from a promotion programme, winning at the Court of Appeal after the High Court dismissed their case.
graphic.com.ghHold on, don't execute judgment directing promotion of 40 police chief inspectors until appeal process is complete - Supreme Court
myjoyonline.comCourt halts promotion of 40 police officers pending IGP’s appeal
starrfm.com.ghSupreme Court puts on hold judgment directing promotion of 40 Police Chief Inspectors
Promotion order suspended
The Supreme Court on October 14, 2026, stayed execution of a Court of Appeal judgment directing the promotion of 40 police chief inspectors. The order remains suspended pending determination of an appeal against the ruling.
The Inspector-General of Police and the Police Management Board appealed to the Supreme Court and sought the stay before the appeal was heard. The officers were seeking promotion to Assistant Superintendents of Police.
Court weighs impact
The panel, chaired by Justice Gabriel Pwamang, said the officers would suffer less inconvenience from a stay than the applicants would face if it were refused. The court said implementing the promotions before resolving the appeal could disrupt administration if the challenge succeeded.
The court added that, if the appeal failed, the officers’ promotions would be backdated to January 27, 2026, the date of the Court of Appeal judgment.
Dispute over eligibility
The dispute arose from a 2021 Police Management Board amnesty that made officers enlisted between December 2008 and 2020 who held first degrees eligible for promotion. The 40 officers argued that they were unfairly excluded while colleagues, including some junior to them, benefited.
The officers challenged their exclusion at the High Court in Kumasi, which dismissed their case. The Court of Appeal reversed that decision and ordered the authorities to promote them and grant the associated entitlements.
