During a visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund on Wednesday, September 2, Chief Justice Paul Baffoe‑Bonnie praised the fund’s performance and asked why Ghana had not achieved similar progress over the previous eight years. According to MyJoyOnline, the Chief Justice added that he had also been impressed by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust’s recent work.
Chief Justice’s comments at MIIF
Justice Baffoe‑Bonnie said, “I must congratulate you. I mean, you have done marvellously well… we wonder what we have been doing in the past eight years.” He also noted that SSNIT had previously planned to sell assets such as Labadi Beach Hotel, adding that the country’s recent progress seemed to contrast sharply with earlier plans.
Prof Asare’s response
In a Facebook post on September 2, Prof Kwaku Asare expressed concern that the phrase “the past eight years” carried an unmistakable partisan meaning in Ghanaian politics. He wrote, “I understand the sentiment. But I worry about the language.” He warned that the Chief Justice’s words could be interpreted as an assessment of one administration against another, potentially undermining public confidence in judicial independence.
Asare emphasized that judges, while citizens, must exercise restraint in public speech. He added, “Judges do not cease to be citizens when they assume office. But the robe necessarily constrains their public speech.” He called for reciprocal restraint: politicians should respect the judiciary, and judges should stay out of partisan politics.
Implications for judicial independence
Prof Asare noted that cases involving decisions of both the previous and current governments could come before the courts. He argued that no litigant should question whether the head of the Judiciary had a favourable or unfavourable view of any administration. “Judicial independence requires political restraint, from politicians toward judges, and from judges toward partisan politics,” he said.
These comments arrive amid the politically contentious backdrop of Justice Baffoe‑Bonnie’s elevation to Chief Justice, following the suspension of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo and a contentious parliamentary approval process.
Source: MyJoyOnline
