Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has referred the nomination of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie for the position of Chief Justice to the Appointments Committee for vetting and recommendation.
The referral follows the submission of his name to Parliament by President John Mahama for consideration and approval, in line with Article 144(1) of the 1992 Constitution.
Mr. Bagbin, announcing the nomination on the floor of Parliament, directed the committee to fast-track its work and present its report to the plenary for a final decision.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s nomination as Chief Justice follows the removal of Gertrude Torkornoo on grounds of stated misbehaviour, as determined by a constitutional committee set up under Article 146 of the Constitution.
He was appointed Acting Chief Justice in April 2025 following Justice Torkornoo’s suspension and is currently the most senior judge on the Supreme Court.
The Speaker’s referral comes in the wake of a lawsuit by Justice Torkornoo, seeking to stop his vetting and subsequent appointment.
Her application at the High Court seeks to quash all proceedings of the Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang Committee established under Article 146 to consider petitions for her removal.
The former CJ is also asking the court to set aside all proceedings conducted by the Committee tasked with investigating petitions for her removal. She is also requesting that the Presidential Warrant that removed her from office be declared unlawful, null, void, and of no effect.
Profile of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie
He was appointed to the apex court in June 2008 by former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
Born on December 26, 1956, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie began his education in Goaso and continued at Konongo Odumase Secondary School, where he earned both his Ordinary and Advanced Level certificates. He later pursued law at the University of Ghana and the Ghana School of Law, where he was called to the Bar in 1983.
Over the years, he has served in various capacities within the judiciary—as a Circuit Court Judge in Kumasi, a High Court Judge at Duayaw Nkwanta, and an Appeals Court Judge—before his eventual elevation to the Supreme Court.
Source: Adomonline
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