The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has said Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie should not resign over his recent public remarks, but has cautioned that the incident raises legitimate concerns about the need for judicial impartiality and public trust.
The Conference said calls for the Chief Justice’s resignation based solely on his comments during visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on September 2, 2026, would be disproportionate.
In a statement signed by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani, the Conference said there was nothing inherently wrong with the Chief Justice visiting public institutions, acquainting himself with their operations or commending improvements.
It, however, expressed concern about the political character that some of his remarks, particularly his reference to the “past eight years”, could reasonably be perceived 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,” the Bishops said.
The Conference noted that concerns over the remarks had already been raised publicly, including by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), which warned that the comments could create an impression of political endorsement and undermine confidence in judicial impartiality.
It also acknowledged the Judicial Service’s subsequent clarification that the Chief Justice’s observations were made in good faith and were not intended to compromise judicial independence.
The Bishops said they accepted that clarification in good faith but maintained that the episode warranted broader reflection on judicial ethics and public trust.
“The office of Chief Justice is not that of an ordinary public commentator,” the statement said, stressing that courts could at any time be called upon to determine disputes involving the government, political parties and public institutions.
The Conference argued that judicial independence depended not only on actual impartiality but also on the visible appearance of impartiality.
“A judge, and especially the head of the Judiciary, must be, and must be seen to be, above the partisan contest,” it said.
The Bishops were, however, careful not to accuse the Chief Justice of partisanship 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.
According to the Conference, the Chief Justice, like any other citizen, was entitled to his personal convictions. The issue, it said, was whether his public conduct in office could create reasonable doubt about his political neutrality.
The Bishops 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 institutions’ performance under different administrations.
They further appealed to political actors to avoid turning the controversy into a partisan battle.
“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 Conference said.
It called for restraint from all public office holders, regardless of which political party was in power.
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference concluded by urging the nation to treat the controversy as an opportunity for reflection rather than partisan advantage, while reaffirming its support for the Judiciary and praying for wisdom among Ghana’s leaders to uphold truth, justice and national unity.
