The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference on Thursday urged Chief Justice Paul Baffoe‑Bonnie to refrain from comparing the records of successive governments when commenting on public institutions.
The Bishops noted that the Chief Justice’s reference to the “past eight years” during visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on September 2 could be interpreted as a political comparison.
While the Bishops acknowledged that there was nothing improper about the Chief Justice visiting SSNIT and MIIF, assessing their operations or commending genuine improvements, they said the political character of some remarks, especially the reference to the “past eight years”, could be reasonably understood as a partisan judgment.
They warned that in Ghana’s political context such a reference could easily be seen as a comparison between the current administration and its predecessor, thereby giving the appearance of a partisan endorsement and weakening confidence in judicial impartiality.
The Bishops also cited a similar concern raised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, which cautioned that remarks of this nature might create an impression of political endorsement and erode trust in the judiciary’s independence.
They noted that the Judicial Service had clarified that the Chief Justice’s comments were made in good faith and without any intention to compromise judicial independence, and the Bishops said they received that clarification in good faith.
However, the Bishops stressed that the episode raised broader concerns about the standards expected of the head of the Judiciary, noting that the office of Chief Justice is not that of an ordinary public commentator.
They explained that courts could be called upon to determine disputes involving the government, political parties or public institutions, and citizens must therefore be able to approach the courts without doubts about whether the Chief Justice had aligned himself with one political era over another.
“Judicial independence is not only a matter of actual impartiality; it also depends on the visible, unmistakable appearance of impartiality,” the Bishops said.
The Bishops were careful not to accuse the Chief Justice of partisanship or suggest that the Judiciary had been compromised, describing calls for his resignation over the remarks alone as disproportionate.
They said the better approach would have been to commend the achievements of SSNIT and MIIF on their own merits, urging continued focus on efficiency, accountability and service to Ghanaians without setting one administration’s record against another.
The Bishops also appealed to both the governing party and opposition to exercise restraint, saying the governing party ought not to treat criticism of the Chief Justice as an attack on its own record, nor should the opposition treat his remarks as proof that the courts have been captured.
They concluded that the same standard of restraint should apply to every public office holder, regardless of which party is in government.
