The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns over the recent engagements by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, questioning the purpose and timing of his visits to key state institutions, including the Ghana Police Service and Parliament.

Addressing journalists at a press briefing on Monday, January 26, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin said the Chief Justice’s movements create the impression of a “thank-you tour” following his appointment.

“And by the way, we have seen that My Lord Baffoe-Bonnie and his management are all over the various Ministries, including Jubilee House,” he said.
“Is he on a thank-you tour? Is My Lord Baffoe-Bonnie thanking the government for appointing him as Chief Justice?”

Mr. Afenyo-Markin disclosed that the Minority had been informed of the Chief Justice’s planned visit to Parliament, but said Minority MPs would not take part in that engagement.

“We, the Minority, do not see him as a tolerant head of the judiciary.

Members of the Minority were attacked when we criticised the processes leading to his nomination,” he stated.

For that reason, he said, the Minority would boycott what he described as a “thank-you talk.”

“We will therefore not be part of his thank-you talk.

If he wants to engage us, our offices are open.

He should come and engage us, and we will let him know the things that we find wrong,” he added.

The Minority Leader also accused the government of actions he said were undermining Ghana’s democratic credibility.

“A government that tolerates opaque law-making schemes orchestrated by the Central Bank, that turns prosecution into a political weapon, that attacks judicial independence by unconstitutionally removing a Chief Justice, and that allows the ongoing destruction of our rivers, is steadily destroying the very credibility it seeks to project abroad,” he said.

In recent weeks, Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has embarked on a series of courtesy and institutional visits.

He paid a courtesy call on Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang in Accra, where he briefed her on the judiciary’s achievements and priority initiatives, including efforts to decongest the courts and expand Alternative Dispute Resolution services.

He also met with the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, in a meeting described as a courtesy call aimed at strengthening collaboration between the Judiciary and the Finance Ministry.

During the interaction, the Chief Justice raised concerns about court congestion and the need to improve working conditions within the judiciary.

Additionally, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie visited the Ministry of Education to discuss areas of cooperation between the judiciary and the education sector, particularly in strengthening legal education and promoting civic responsibility.

On Monday, the Chief Justice began another round of institutional visits to key state bodies, including the Ghana Police Service and Parliament, as part of efforts to enhance collaboration and coordination within Ghana’s justice and governance framework.

However, the Minority has criticised the engagements, characterising them as politically motivated and describing them as a “thank-you tour,” rather than routine institutional interactions expected of the head of the judiciary.