The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has openly taken aim at Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie following his public praise of selected state institutions.
Delivering her address at the opening of the GBA Annual General Conference on September 14, 2026, the Bar President, Mrs Efua Ghartey, expressed sharp disapproval of the head of the judiciary. She described his remarks as disappointing and dismissed the Judicial Secretary’s subsequent defense as feeble.
The controversy stems from official visits made by Justice Baffoe-Bonnie on September 2, 2026, to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF). During those visits, he commended the operational strides of both bodies and questioned the achievements of the previous eight years, remarking that recent output under the current administration led him to ponder what had occurred in the preceding period.
Addressing lawyers at the conference—held under the theme “150 Years of Ghana’s Legal Evolution: Transforming the Profession and Driving its Future with Industry”—Mrs Ghartey stressed that such conduct from the head of the bench was inappropriate. She noted that comparing state output under different political regimes was deeply troubling given his high office.
“Recent commendation of a public institution by the CJ left much to be desired. We don’t want to believe that it is a fulfillment of “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks,” Mrs Ghartey stated.
Reiterating her point, she added: “The recent commendation of a public institution and the comparison to a past government’s output, by no mean a person than the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, left much to be desired.”
“We do not want to believe that what happened is a fulfilment of Matthew 12:34, which says, ‘Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh,’” she stated.
Mrs Ghartey also took aim at the statement issued by the Judicial Secretary in the wake of the controversy. She argued that the official explanation failed to address or resolve the concerns raised by members of the legal fraternity.
“Respectfully, the Judicial Secretary’s attempted defence of the Chief Justice was, at best, lacklustre,” she said.
Clarifying the Bar’s position, the GBA President maintained that their criticism should not be misconstrued as an attempt to undermine the bench or its autonomy. She reaffirmed the Association’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding judicial independence as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
However, she warned that maintaining judicial independence demands equal adherence to the constitutional boundaries set for public officers, citing Article 128(4) of the 1992 Constitution.
“The Bar wishes to serve a reminder that much as it is poised to protect the independence of the Judiciary, as per Article 128(4) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, the guarded must stay within their bounds as dictated by their calling in the Constitution,” she said.
She concluded by urging all public officials holding constitutional mandates to act strictly within their prescribed limits.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana