If CJ needs ethics law to know SOE comments were wrong, he may not be worthy of office – Arthur Kennedy

Political activist, physician and social commentator Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy has questioned the suitability of Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie for the office if he needs formal ethical rules to recognise that his recent comments about state-owned institutions were inappropriate. Dr Kennedy said the Chief Justice, by virtue of the office he occupies, should instinctively understand the boundaries expected of him and avoid conduct that could create an impression of political alignment. “The Chief Justice does not need ethical laws to know that what he did was wrong,” Dr Kennedy said.

“If he does, then maybe he is not worthy of his office.” Dr Kennedy was reacting to comments made by Justice Baffoe-Bonnie during visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on Wednesday, September 2. Read Also: Chief Justice praises MIIF, other SOEs, questions what Ghana was doing in past 8 years During the MIIF visit, the Chief Justice praised the institution and other public bodies for what he described as improved performance under the current administration. He said the developments he had observed had prompted him to question what Ghana had been doing over the previous eight years.

“Sometimes when we hear how well some state organisations are doing now, we wonder what we really have been doing in the past eight years,” Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said. He also referred to information presented to him at SSNIT, including previous plans involving some of the institution’s assets, and questioned how Ghana could have “sunk so low”. The remarks have generated a political and institutional debate, with critics arguing that the comparison between the current administration and its predecessor sounded political and could undermine public confidence in the neutrality of the Judiciary.

Dr Kennedy said the Chief Justice should have recognised the potential implications of his comments without needing to be guided by a specific ethical provision. “A Chief Justice instinctively must know that things like this are inappropriate and avoid them,” he said. “He is the exemplar for our judiciary.” According to Dr Kennedy, the person occupying the highest judicial office must be particularly conscious of how his public statements are perceived because the credibility of the Judiciary depends in part on public confidence in its i…

The Judicial Service has reaffirmed Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie’s commitment to the integrity and independence of the Judiciary amid growing public criticism of comments he made about the performance of some state-owned institutions. In a statement issued on Friday, September 4, the Judicial Service said the Chief Justice had taken note of the “mixed public reaction” to observations he made during a recent outreach engagement. It stressed that the comments were made in good faith and were not intended to undermine the independence of the Judiciary.

“The Chief Justice remains committed to upholding the integrity and independence of the Judiciary, and the promotion of justice and equality before the law,” the Judicial Service said. The clarification follows criticism of comments made by the Chief Justice during visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on Wednesday, September 2. At MIIF, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie praised the institution and other public entities for what he described as improvements in their operations, saying the developments had left him questioning Ghana’s performance over the previous eight years.