The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Efua Ghartey, has openly criticised recent remarks by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie praising state-owned enterprises (SOEs) under the current administration and comparing their performance with that of the previous government.
She said the comments “left much to be desired” and cautioned members of the judiciary against creating the impression that they are serving the interests of the executive, stressing that judicial officers must “stay within their bounds” under the Constitution.
Speaking at the Ghana Bar Association Conference 2026/27 in Ada on Monday, September 14, 2026, Ghartey said the remarks had raised concerns about judicial independence.
“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.
“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’. Respectfully, the Judicial Secretary’s attempted defence of the Chief Justice was at best lacklustre,” she said.
Ghartey said the comments formed part of broader concerns about subtle and, at times, overt communications by members of the judiciary suggesting that they were in office to advance the interests of another arm of government, particularly the executive.
“The facts of the case are in respect of subtle and sometimes overt communication by members of the judiciary indicating unequivocally that they are in office to promote the bidding of another arm of government, especially the executive, its ultimate appointing authority,” she noted.
The GBA president stressed that while the Bar remained committed to protecting the independence of the judiciary, judicial officers were equally required to operate within the limits set by the 1992 Constitution.
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“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.
“And may I repeat that the guarded must stay within their bounds as dictated by their calling in the Constitution,” she added.
Her comments follow remarks by Baffoe-Bonnie praising public institutions under the current administration and questioning what Ghana had been doing during the previous eight years.
He praised the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) and other public institutions for developments he had witnessed under the current administration, saying some of the progress had left him wondering what Ghana had been doing over the previous eight years.
JKB/MA
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