NewzChief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has rejected the position that lawyers can decline to proceed with cases simply because they have been scheduled during the legal vacation. He said a judge who is sitting and ready to hear a case cannot be prevented from doing so merely because counsel has made personal arrangements during the vacation period. Speaking at the 2nd Quadrennial Delegates Congress of the Senior Staff Association of the Judicial Service of Ghana in Sunyani in the Bono Region, the Chief Justice said lawyers could take leave only where their clients permitted them to do so.
“You cannot say that there is legal vacation, so a judge who is actually sitting and ready to do your case cannot do it. Read Also: Legal vacation is not lawyers’ vacation — Deputy Attorney-General Justice Baffoe-Bonnie criticised the suggestion that a lawyer could simply inform the Chief Justice that a case should not proceed because counsel had already made other arrangements. “To write to the Chief Justice to say that the cases should not be adjourned to the vacation, so I am not coming, I have already made arrangements outside, so I am not coming.
“You are a lawyer, you have your clients. If your clients decide to give you leave, well, go on leave, but you cannot say that there is a legal vacation and the judge who is actually sitting cannot do your case. The Chief Justice also stressed that decisions on adjournments are made by judges handling the cases and do not fall within the administrative authority of the Chief Justice.
“No, adjournments are not at the instance of the Chief Justice. This is something that is so basic,” he said. His comments follow a letter from the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) appealing to the Chief Justice over concerns about lawyers being required to appear in court during the legal vacation.
In the letter dated August 10, 2026, the GBA argued that lawyers who had indicated their unavailability during the period should not be compelled to attend proceedings. The Association said it was responding to petitions from Zoe, Akyea & Co, Dame & Partners, and Sam Okudzeto & Associates over notices requiring counsel to appear before judges designated to continue part-heard criminal cases during the vacation. Read Also: Court cannot proceed if counsel is unavailable dur…
Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, has rejected the Ghana Bar Association’s position that the availability of lawyers should determine whether court proceedings continue during the legal vacation. The GBA, in a letter to Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie on Monday, August 10, raised concerns about directives requiring lawyers to appear before Vacation Courts despite having indicated that they were unavailable. The association said the legal vacation, which runs from August 1 to September 30, is intended to provide judges, lawyers and judicial staff with a period of respite after the demanding court calendar.
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