The Appointments Committee of Parliament has lauded the Chief Justice nominee’s insight in law, describing him as a man with “deep knowledge of the law.”
The comment was made by the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, who said the Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie was able to respond to all the questions posed to him adequately.
“The nominee demonstrated outstanding competence, deep knowledge of the law and a firm grasp of the judicial ethics. He addressed questions posed by the committee with professionalism, clarity and intellectual rigour . The nominee possesses the requisites of qualification,” Ahiafor stated.
This was during the Committee’s presentation of its report to the House for approval, after recommending him to the members to grant him the nod to lead the country’s judiciary.
The vetting of Mr. Baffoe-Bonnie was full of controversy after the Minority Caucus announced its rejection of the nomination of Mr. Baffoe-Bonnie and abstained from participating in the vetting proceedings.
The decision to boycott the process was announced by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin following hours of a back-and-forth with Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, which led to a suspension for nearly 30 minutes.
After recess, Afenyo-Markin announced the abstinence of the Minority Caucus from the process as he led his side to walk out, leaving only members of the Majority side on the Appointments Committee to conduct the vetting process.
“Be it known to you, chairman, and the committee and the country that we, the Minority Caucus, hereby vote en bloc to reject the nominee. We would want to state on record that the Majority can proceed with the questions. We do not intend to proceed with any question. We are, however, registering in the strongest terms that we reject the nomination, and the records should reflect that the report of this committee be a majority report,” the Minority Leader and MP for Effutu stated.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, who served as the Acting Chief Justice, was nominated by President John Mahama to succeed former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo after her removal from office.
The decision by the Minority to reject the nominee and boycott the crucial vetting session was rooted in deep-seated concerns over the process of selection and pending cases filed by Justice Torkonoo challenging her removal.
The vetting proceeded without the cross-examination and scrutiny traditionally provided by the Minority Caucus, raising questions about the legitimacy and bipartisan support for the eventual confirmation.
Baffoe-Bonnie’s vetting: Mahama Ayariga shares what he thinks Afenyo-Markin should’ve done
