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The Minority in Parliament has accused Attorney-General Dr. Dominic Ayine and Acting Chief Justice Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie of deliberately manipulating the judicial process to facilitate the latter’s confirmation as substantive Chief Justice, despite ongoing legal challenges surrounding the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
In a strongly worded statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, the Minority Caucus alleged that the Attorney-General has “refused to file defenses” in all seven court cases contesting the legality of Justice Torkornoo’s removal — a move they described as a “calculated stratagem” to delay judicial proceedings until Parliament approves Justice Baffoe-Bonnie.
“This cannot be dismissed as mere administrative oversight or bureaucratic inefficiency,” the statement, signed by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said. “The pattern reveals a deliberate strategy—delay judicial determination sufficiently long to install a new Chief Justice, thereby rendering the constitutional challenges academic.”
The Minority further accused Justice Baffoe-Bonnie of a conflict of interest, pointing out that he presided over the Supreme Court panel that earlier declined to halt Justice Torkornoo’s removal, and now stands to benefit from that decision through his nomination as her successor.
“As Acting Chief Justice, he bears responsibility for the administration of justice, yet none of the pending constitutional cases challenging the removal of Justice Torkornoo have been listed for hearing. No panels have been empanelled, no defences compelled, and no action taken to advance the cases. Every day of delay strengthens his candidacy,” the statement read.
The Caucus argued that the alleged inaction compromises judicial ethics and undermines public confidence in the judiciary, warning that proceeding with the vetting would make Parliament complicit in institutional manipulation.
“When the head of the Judiciary uses administrative powers to shield himself from scrutiny, the institution’s moral authority collapses. Parliament must not ratify such impropriety,” the Minority asserted.
The group has therefore renewed its call for the vetting and approval of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie to be suspended until the courts determine the pending cases concerning Justice Torkornoo’s removal.
“This is not a matter of partisanship but of principle,” the statement concluded.
