The Minority in Parliament has filed a formal motion urging the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, to suspend the vetting of Chief Justice–designate, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, until all court cases challenging the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo are conclusively determined.
The motion, submitted on Tuesday, argues that proceeding with the vetting while the matter remains before the courts would breach due process and risk prejudicing ongoing judicial proceedings. The Minority insists that such a move could erode public confidence in both the judiciary and Parliament’s constitutional oversight role.
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The Minority Caucus is calling for restraint and respect for the rule of law, emphasizing that unresolved legal questions surrounding Justice Torkonoo’s suspension make it improper to advance the appointment process.
Despite their opposition, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has clarified that his side will not boycott the vetting. He said the caucus will participate in the spirit of institutional respect, but remains strongly opposed to the process that led to the suspension of Chief Justice Torkonoo.
Parliament’s Appointments Committee is scheduled to vet Justice Baffoe-Bonnie on Monday, November 10. President John Dramani Mahama nominated him to head the judiciary following Justice Torkonoo’s suspension over allegations of misconduct.
The suspended Chief Justice, however, has mounted a legal challenge to her removal, filing actions in both Ghana’s Human Rights Court and the ECOWAS Court of Justice. Her earlier judicial review application was dismissed in July by the High Court in Accra, presided over by Justice Kwame Amoako, who ruled that the application was an abuse of court process and outside the court’s jurisdiction.
The Minority maintains that the ongoing litigation renders any vetting premature and potentially unconstitutional. They have called on the Speaker to exercise prudence and suspend the process until the courts pronounce on the matter.