A senior member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Arthur Kennedy, has described the conduct of Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie during recent comments on the management of state institutions as “beneath the dignity” of his office.
Dr Kennedy said the Chief Justice’s remarks, which touched on the performance of institutions including the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), did not reflect well on Ghana’s judiciary.
“What you did was beneath the dignity of your office, and it did not reflect well on you or the judiciary,” Dr Kennedy said in a video shared on X on Friday, September 4.
His comments come amid controversy over the Chief Justice’s recent assessment of the management of Ghana’s state institutions, with sections of the public defending the remarks as an expression of opinion.
The NPP, however, criticised the Chief Justice’s comments as political and called on him to retract them or resign from his position and join the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Dr Kennedy, while criticising the Chief Justice, also condemned what he described as partisan hypocrisy in the reactions to the controversy.
He said NPP supporters who previously defended former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo but were now condemning the current Chief Justice were being hypocritical, just as NDC supporters who had criticised Torkornoo but were defending the current Chief Justice were equally hypocritical.
Turning directly to the Chief Justice, Dr Kennedy said the holder of the country’s highest judicial office should have recognised that the comments were inappropriate.
“The Chief Justice does not need ethical laws to know that what he did was wrong,” he said.
“If he does, then maybe he is not worthy of his office. A Chief Justice instinctively must know that things like this are inappropriate and avoid them. He is the exemplar for our judiciary.”
Dr Kennedy urged the Chief Justice to apologise for his remarks and commit to avoiding similar conduct in the future.
“I hope you can find it in your heart to apologise and pledge to do no more,” he said.
He further urged the Chief Justice to focus his attention on challenges within the judiciary, including delays in the appellate process, prolonged imprisonment of some inmates, missing case dockets, alleged judicial corruption and the assignment of judicial panels.
“Sir, if you are looking for things to do, there are a lot of things you can improve in our judiciary,” Dr Kennedy said.
He said addressing such challenges would help the Chief Justice leave a positive legacy and restore confidence in the judiciary.
“I urge you, Mr. Chief Justice, not to disappoint us,” he added.
