Chief Justice’s ‘Past Eight Years’ Comment Risked Partisan Perception – Catholic Bishops

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference says recent remarks by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie during visits to public institutions, though made in good faith, risked creating an impression of political endorsement.

In a statement issued Sunday, September 6, 2026, and signed by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani, the Conference said it was offering reflections not to inflame controversy, but to contribute to understanding judicial ethics and public trust.

The Chief Justice had visited the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on September 2, 2026.

According to the Bishops, there is nothing improper in the Chief Justice visiting public institutions, acquainting himself with their operations, or commending genuine improvement.

“The difficulty lies not in the visits themselves, but in the political character that some of his remarks, in particular his reference to the ‘past eight years’, can reasonably be understood to have acquired,” the statement said.

“In our national context, such a phrase is readily heard as a comparison between the present administration and its predecessor. What may have begun as a straightforward assessment of institutional performance thus took on, at least in appearance, the character of a partisan judgment.”

The Conference noted that the concern had already been raised publicly, including by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), which cautioned that such remarks could weaken confidence in judicial impartiality.

The Bishops said they had received, in good faith, a clarification from the Judicial Service that the Chief Justice’s observations were made in good faith, without intention to compromise judicial independence.

However, they stressed that the office of Chief Justice is not that of an ordinary public commentator.

“The courts may at any time be called upon to adjudicate disputes involving the Government, political parties, or public institutions, and citizens must be able to approach them without wondering whether the Chief Justice has, even inadvertently, aligned himself with one political era over another,” the Bishops said.

“Judicial independence is not only a matter of actual impartiality; it also depends on the visible, unmistakable appearance of impartiality.”

The Conference said calls for the Chief Justice’s resignation on this basis alone were disproportionate and clarified that it was not suggesting that the Chief Justice is partisan or that the Judiciary has been compromised.

“We respectfully suggest that the better course would have been to commend the achievements of SSNIT and MIIF on their own merits, encouraging continued efficiency, accountability, and service to the Ghanaian people, without setting one administration’s record against another’s,” the statement added.

The Bishops appealed to all sides to treat the moment as an occasion for reflection rather than partisan advantage.

“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. The same standard of restraint must be asked of every public office holder, regardless of who occupies it or which party is in government.”

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