The Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference (GCBC) has cautioned Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, over recent public comments that took on a political character, while firmly rejecting calls from some quarters for his resignation.
The Conference emphasized that while the head of the Judiciary must strictly avoid remarks that create perceptions of partisan bias, demanding his step-down is "disproportionate to the offence".
The controversy follows remarks made by Justice Baffoe-Bonnie on September 2, 2026, during working visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), where his reference to the "past eight years" was interpreted by critics as a political comparison between past and present administrations.
The Bishops in their statement made it clear that the episode does not prove judicial capture or political bias on the part of the Chief Justice.
"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," the GCBC stated. "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 Bishops noted that the Chief Justice is entitled to his personal convictions, but stressed that his public conduct must never leave room for reasonable doubt regarding his neutrality.
Addressing the core of the issue, the Catholic Bishops observed that while visits to state institutions are entirely proper, introducing political comparisons risks damaging public trust in the administration of justice.
"The courts may at any time be called upon to adjudicate disputes involving the Government, political parties, or public institutions," the statement noted. "Judicial independence is not only a matter of actual impartiality; it also depends on the visible, unmistakable appearance of impartiality".
The GCBC suggested that the Chief Justice could have commended the operational achievements of SSNIT and MIIF on their own merits without comparing political records.
