The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has criticised Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie over his recent comments about state-owned enterprises (SOEs), describing them as inappropriate.
The comments were made by the Chief Justice during a visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on Wednesday, September 2.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie praised MIIF and other public institutions under the current administration, saying some of the developments he had witnessed had left him wondering what Ghana had been doing over the previous eight years.
Speaking at the Ghana Bar Association Conference 2026/27 in Ada on Monday, September 14, GBA President Efua Ghartey said the association was concerned about the remarks.
The conference is being held under the theme, “150 Years of Ghana’s Legal Evolution: Transforming the Profession and Driving its Future with Industry.”
Mrs Ghartey said the Chief Justice’s decision to commend a public institution while comparing its performance with that of a previous government was particularly troubling, given the constitutional and independent nature of his office.
She said such comments could raise concerns about the perception of judicial impartiality and the need for holders of high judicial office to exercise caution when commenting on political or governmental matters.
“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,” she said.
The GBA President said the Bar was reluctant to interpret the remarks as a reflection of any underlying sentiment but drew attention to the biblical admonition in Matthew 12:34.
“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 criticised the response from the Judicial Secretary in an apparent attempt to explain or defend the Chief Justice’s comments.
According to her, the explanation did little to address the concerns raised by the Bar.
“Respectfully, the Judicial Secretary’s attempted defence of the Chief Justice was, at best, lacklustre,” she said.
She stressed that the GBA’s position should not be interpreted as an attempt to undermine the Judiciary or its independence.
Rather, she said, the Bar remained committed to protecting the independence of the Judiciary as guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution.
The GBA President, however, cautioned that the protection of judicial independence must be accompanied by respect for the constitutional limits placed on public office holders.
She referred specifically to Article 128(4) of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees the independence of the Judiciary, and reaffirmed the Bar’s commitment to upholding that principle.
“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.
Ms stressed the need for those entrusted with constitutional responsibilities to remain within the limits of their respective mandates.
