President John Dramani Mahama, has nominated Justice Paul Kwadwo Baffoe-Bonnie, who turns 69 on Boxing Day this year, as the next Chief Justice of Ghana, in what critics say is a stopgap appointment that will barely last a year.

The announcement was made yesterday, Tuesday, September 23, in a statement issued by the Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.

 If approved, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie will retire in December 2026 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70, meaning he would serve little more than twelve months at the helm of the judiciary, making him one of the shortest-serving Chief Justices in the history of the country.

“President John Dramani Mahama has, in accordance with Article 144(1) of the 1992 Constitution, forwarded the name of His Lordship Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to the Council of State for consideration as Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana,” the statement read, describing him as “diligent, impartial and committed to justice”.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has been acting Chief Justice since 22 April, following the suspension and subsequent dismissal of Justice Gertrude Araba Asaaba Torkornoo. He assumed the role due to seniority on the Supreme Court bench.

While government officials extol his long service and “invaluable contributi

ons to Ghanaian jurisprudence”, the nomination has already raised eyebrows.

Many legal observers question the logic of appointing a near-retiree to lead a scandal-hit judiciary struggling to restore credibility after the controversial ousting of his predecessor.

Born on 26 December 1956, Baffoe-Bonnie was called to the Bar in 1983. He served as a Circuit Court judge in Kumasi and later as a High Court judge at Duayaw Nkwanta before rising to the Appeals Court in 2006 under President John Agyekum Kufuor. Two years later, Kufuor elevated him to the Supreme Court.

He became a household name in 2013 when he sat on the panel of justices that dismissed the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) petition seeking to annul nearly four million votes in the disputed 2012 presidential election.

Educated at Konongo Odumase Secondary School, the University of Ghana, and the Ghana Law School, Baffoe-Bonnie has long-standing ties to prominent political and legal figures.

He shared a law school room with the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as “Sir John”, and was close friends with former Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, the trio referring to themselves as “village law students”.

His wife, Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, currently serves as Director General of the Ghana Prison Service.

Despite his formidable credentials, the prospect of a one-year tenure has left sections of the public and legal fraternity unconvinced.

With the judiciary reeling from controversy and public trust in the courts at a low ebb, many are asking whether Mahama’s choice of a short-term caretaker Chief Justice signals stability, or merely political expediency.

The post Baffoe-Bonnie set for historic one-year as Chief Justice appeared first on The Herald ghana.

Read More