GBA rebukes Chief Justice over SOE remarks

The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has urged Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to remain within the limits of his constitutional role following remarks comparing the performance of public institutions under successive governments.

GBA President Efua Ghartey said comments of that nature could raise questions about the political neutrality expected of the head of the Judiciary.

She raised the concern on Monday, September 14, at the association’s 2026/27 annual conference in Ada, held under the theme, “150 Years of Ghana’s Legal Evolution: Transforming the Profession and Driving its Future with Industry.”

The criticism relates to remarks Justice Baffoe-Bonnie made during a September 2 visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF). After praising developments at MIIF and other state institutions under the current administration, he reportedly questioned what Ghana had been doing during the previous eight years.

Mrs Ghartey described the comparison as troubling, particularly because it came from the Chief Justice.

She said the association did not wish to conclude that the remarks reflected a deeper political sentiment, but referenced the biblical passage in Matthew 12:34, which states that the mouth speaks from what fills the heart.

The GBA President also rejected the Judicial Secretary’s subsequent attempt to explain the comments, describing the response as inadequate and unlikely to resolve the concerns raised.

Mrs Ghartey maintained that the association’s criticism should not be seen as an attack on the Judiciary or its independence. She said the Bar remained committed to defending judicial independence under Article 128(4) of the 1992 Constitution.

That protection, she added, must be matched by restraint from those occupying constitutional offices.

“The guarded must stay within their bounds as dictated by their calling in the Constitution,” she said, urging public office holders to respect the limits of their respective mandates.