Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, Haruna Mohammed, has charged Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie with injecting politics into his role after the judge’s recent comments during interactions with state-owned bodies.
In a video clip, the Chief Justice compared the current performance of certain state organisations under the NDC government with that of the previous NPP administration, remarking:
“Sometimes when we hear how well some state organisations are doing now, we wonder what we really have been doing in the past eight years.”
Appearing on Eyewitness News on Thursday, 3 September, Mr Mohammed contended that these observations cast doubt on the impartiality of the judiciary and erode trust in the independence of the Chief Justice’s position.
“He spoke as a politician. He did not speak as a Chief Justice. He did not speak as an independent person. He spoke as a politician,” Mr Mohammed stated.
He emphasised that the Chief Justice’s duty is to safeguard the judiciary’s autonomy rather than highlight or justify the successes of the ruling government.
Mr Mohammed further criticised the Chief Justice’s meetings with state institutions and government figures, insisting that such contacts obscure the boundary between the judicial and executive branches.
He therefore urged Justice Baffoe-Bonnie either to issue an apology and withdraw the remarks or to step down.
“The NPP is saying he should either come out to apologise and retract, or resign and become a pure communicator of the NDC,” he declared.
Mr Mohammed cautioned that leaving the matter unresolved risks damaging public faith in the judiciary and underscored the importance of preserving the independence and integrity of state institutions.
