Minority walks out of chief justice nominee vetting

The Minority in Parliament has boycotted the vetting of Chief Justice nominee Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie by the Appointments Committee, citing ongoing court cases and procedural issues surrounding his nomination.

Led by Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority rejected the nomination outright, arguing that the process lacked legitimacy due to unresolved legal matters related to the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo.

“We are registering our rejection of this nomination, and the record should reflect that the vetting report is a Majority report,” Afenyo-Markin declared during the proceedings.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s vetting comes after the controversial removal of Justice Torkornoo, a move that the Minority and several civil society organizations have described as unconstitutional and politically motivated.

The Minority warned that proceeding with the vetting while multiple court cases remain pending threatens judicial independence and undermines the rule of law in Ghana.