By Iddi Yire, GNAÂ
Accra, Sept 04, GNA – The Ghana Center for Democratic Development on Friday urged the Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, to exercise the highest possible restraint and discretion in his public engagement and commentary.
The CDD-Ghana in a statement said this follows remarks attributed to him on September 2, 2026, during visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) alongside members of the Council for Legal Education and Training.
It said at the MIIF, the Chief Justice lauded the current management while questioning the organisation’s performance over “the past eight years”.
It noted that at the SSNIT, the Chief Justice contrasted current operations with past attempts to sell off certain properties in the organisation’s portfolio of assets, openly lamenting how the management of the nation’s affairs had previously “sunk so low”.
The statement said by explicitly contrasting performance under the current administration with its predecessor’s, the Chief Justice crossed a vital constitutional line into partisan validation.
It said such commentary creates a perception of political bias, compromises the Judiciary’s non-partisan mandate, and risks breaching the Code of Conduct for Judges and Magistrates.
It added that these remarks come at a perilous moment for the bench.
The statement said public trust in the Judiciary had fallen to its lowest point since Afrobarometer tracking began in 1999.
It said the Round 10 (2024) survey found that only 35 per cent of citizens trust the courts — a 21-percentage-point decline since 2012 — while 62 per cent believe judicial decisions are routinely swayed by powerful interests, and roughly half doubt that an ordinary person can obtain a fair trial.
It said judges were not expected to withdraw from public life, but their office demands the self-restraint needed to preserve public confidence.
The statement said justice must not only be done but be seen to be done — a principle that requires the unequivocal appearance of neutrality, not merely its substance.
It said to safeguard institutional integrity, the Center urges the Chief Justice to lead by example: adhere strictly to the Code of Conduct, and confine public appearances, including engagements with other state institutions, to matters that directly serve court administration or legal development.
The statement urged the Judicial Council and the Association of Judges and Magistrates to strengthen internal oversight, holding all judicial officers accountable regardless of rank.
It said the Judiciary was the bedrock of Ghana’s constitutional order; when its integrity was compromised, democratic stability is put at risk.
It said judicial authority depends entirely on public confidence — a resource that was already running dangerously low — and no explanation offered after the fact can repair damage that better judgment would have avoided in the first place.
It noted that credibility was preserved by conduct that leaves no room for doubt.
The statement said the Center calls on the Chief Justice to reflect on the solemn duties of his office, align his conduct with its ethical demands, and uphold the Code of Conduct to restore the public trust essential to the administration of justice.
About CDD-Ghana
Established in 1998, Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) is an independent not-for-profit think-and-do-tank that works through research, policy engagement, thought leadership, and civic dialogue and partnerships to promote and strengthen democracy, good governance, and inclusive development in Ghana and the rest of Africa.
A founding Core Partner (and Ghana National Partner) of Afrobarometer, CDD-Ghana is also the convener and secretariat for the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), West Africa Election Observers Network (WAEON), and West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS).
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah