People’s National Party (PNP) flagbearer Janet Nabla has questioned the political neutrality of Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, citing his frequent appearances at public events involving members and supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Janet said the Chief Justice’s visibility at political and social gatherings could create doubts about the independence and impartiality of the Judiciary.
Speaking during an interview on Saturday, September 5, she expressed concern about what she described as the unusually high level of public activity involving the Chief Justice.
“I have a problem. It is a very huge problem with the Chief Justice because we have never seen in our lives that a Chief Justice becomes MTN and goes everywhere,” she said.
According to her, the Chief Justice has been seen at several events involving NDC members, including football-related activities and funerals.
She specifically referred to a football event linked to the recently concluded World Cup, claiming that NDC constituency executives were present at the event alongside the Chief Justice.
Ms Nabla also mentioned funerals of individuals associated with the NDC, where she said the Chief Justice had been present and seen interacting with members of the governing party.
She rejected arguments that such appearances should be treated purely as social engagements, insisting that the political nature of some of the gatherings makes them capable of creating perceptions of political affiliation.
“People are saying that he is not doing political. Those are political activities,” she stated.
Her comments come amid a wider public debate over the Chief Justice’s conduct and public engagements outside the courtroom.
Ms Nabla argued that persons occupying senior judicial positions must be particularly careful about their public interactions because their conduct can influence how citizens perceive the independence of the Judiciary.
She therefore questioned whether the Chief Justice’s frequent engagements with political actors are consistent with the neutrality expected of his office.
