Ghana’s bishops caution chief justice over remarks that could be seen as political
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has cautioned the country’s Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, against public remarks that could raise doubts about the political neutrality of the judiciary. As MyJoyOnline reports, the issue arose from his comments during visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on September 2, 2026.
Mention of eight years
In a statement signed by Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference President Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, it was noted that the Chief Justice’s visits to state institutions and his positive assessments of changes in their work were not themselves a problem. However, the bishops drew attention to his reference to the “past eight years.”
According to the Conference, in Ghana’s political context, those words could have been perceived as a comparison of the current government with the previous administration. The bishops said that even if the comment was an assessment of the institutions’ work, it could have created the impression of a partisan judgment.
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Trust in the courts
The Conference also referred to the position of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, which had expressed concern that such statements could create an impression of political support and weaken confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary. The Judicial Service later said that the Chief Justice’s observations were made in good faith and were not intended to jeopardize judicial independence.
The bishops said they accepted this explanation in good faith, but stressed that public trust depends not only on the actual impartiality of the courts, but also on its visible manifestation. They did not accuse Baffoe-Bonnie of partisanship and called demands for his resignation disproportionate. The Conference urged the government and the opposition not to use the dispute for political gain and to exercise restraint regardless of which party is in power.
