The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has urged Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to exercise caution in his public remarks, warning that comments which could be perceived as politically partisan risk raising doubts about the Judiciary’s impartiality and weakening public trust.
The Bishops said the concern followed remarks made by the Chief Justice during visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on September 2, 2026.
The Conference stressed that there was nothing improper about the Chief Justice visiting public institutions, learning about their operations or commending genuine improvements.
Its concern, however, centred on the political character that some of his remarks, particularly his reference to the “past eight years”, could reasonably be understood to have acquired.
According to the Bishops, the phrase could be interpreted in Ghana’s political context as a comparison between the current administration and its predecessor.
They said what may have been intended as an assessment of institutional performance could therefore appear to be a partisan judgement.
The Conference noted that similar concerns had already been raised publicly by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, which warned that the remarks could create an impression of political endorsement and weaken confidence in judicial impartiality.
It also acknowledged the Judicial Service’s clarification that the Chief Justice’s observations were made in good faith and without an intention to compromise judicial independence.
The Bishops said they accepted that clarification but maintained that the episode raised a wider question about the standards expected of the head of the Judiciary.
“The office of Chief Justice is not that of an ordinary public commentator,” the Conference said.
It noted that the courts could at any time be called upon to adjudicate disputes involving the government, political parties and public institutions.
The Bishops therefore stressed the importance of not only actual judicial impartiality but also public confidence in that impartiality.
“Judicial independence is not only a matter of actual impartiality; it also depends on the visible, unmistakable appearance of impartiality,” they said.
The Conference added that, “A judge, and especially the head of the Judiciary, must be, and must be seen to be, above the partisan contest.”
The Bishops were careful, however, not to accuse the Chief Justice of being partisan or suggest that the Judiciary had been compromised.
“We wish to be clear that none of this amounts to a suggestion that the Chief Justice is partisan, or that the Judiciary has been compromised,” they said.
They also described calls for the Chief Justice’s resignation based on the remarks as disproportionate.
“The Chief Justice, like any citizen, is entitled to his own convictions,” the Bishops said, stressing that the issue was whether his public conduct could create reasonable doubt about his position.
The Conference suggested that the Chief Justice could have commended the achievements of SSNIT and MIIF on their own merits while encouraging continued efficiency, accountability and service to Ghanaians, without comparing the performance of one administration with another.
The Bishops also appealed to Ghana’s political actors to treat the controversy as an opportunity for reflection rather than partisan advantage.
They cautioned the governing party against interpreting criticism of the Chief Justice as an attack on its record, while urging the opposition not to regard his remarks as evidence that the courts had 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,” the Conference said.
Read the full statement below
STATEMENT OF THE GHANA CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE ON THE CHIEF JUSTICE’S RECENT PUBLIC REMARKS
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has followed with interest the recent remarks made by the Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, during his visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on 2 September 2026.
We offer these reflections not to inflame a controversy, but in the hope of contributing calmly to the nation’s understanding of judicial ethics and public trust. There is nothing improper, in itself, in the Chief Justice visiting public institutions, acquainting himself with their operations, or commending genuine improvement. These institutions belong to the people of Ghana, and every citizen, the Chief Justice included, has a legitimate interest in seeing them run efficiently and accountably.
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. 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.
We note that this concern has already been raised publicly, including by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, which cautioned that such remarks risk creating an impression of political endorsement and could weaken confidence in judicial impartiality.
We note, too, that the Judicial Service has since clarified that the Chief Justice’s observations were made in good faith, without intention to compromise judicial independence, and has reaffirmed his commitment to the integrity of the Judiciary and to equality before the law. We receive that clarification in good faith.
Nevertheless, we believe the episode raises a question that deserves the sober attention of the whole nation, not only of the Judiciary. 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.
Judicial independence is not only a matter of actual impartiality; it also depends on the visible, unmistakable appearance of impartiality. A judge, and especially the head of the Judiciary, must be, and must be seen to be, above the partisan contest. We wish to be clear that none of this amounts to a suggestion that the Chief Justice is partisan, or that the Judiciary has been compromised.
Such conclusions would go well beyond the evidence available to us, and calls for his resignation on this basis alone strike us as disproportionate to the offence. The Chief Justice, like any citizen, is entitled to his own convictions. The question is not whether he may hold them, but whether his public conduct in office should ever create room for reasonable doubt about where he stands.
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 same positive message could have been delivered without inviting the very perception now at issue.
We appeal, finally, to all sides to receive this moment as an occasion for reflection rather than an opportunity for 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.
We continue to hold the Judiciary, and all who serve the nation in public office, in our prayers, and we pray that God may grant our leaders the wisdom to serve truth, justice, and the unity of our common home.
MOST REV. MATTHEW KWASI GYAMFI BISHOP OF SUNYANI AND PRESIDENT, GHANA CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026 2
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