Lawyer Martin Kpebu believes that the Chief Justice should have been measured in his utterances during his visit to the state institutions.
He makes the point that the optics do not look good for the comments of the Chief Justice.
“The NPP has never liked Chief Justice Baffour-Bonnie, even though I agree the optics don’t look good for the comments he made,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, September 5.
Kpebu however, said the context of the Chief Justice’s comments should be considered.
“The Chief Justice was talking as a citizen. You have to look at the context in which he made the statement,” he said.
Also speaking on the same issue, Haruna Mohammed, Deputy NPP General Secretary, demanded the resignation of the Chief Justice, Paul Baffour-Bonnie.
He made the point that the Chief Justice erred in his commentary duing the visits to the state institutions.
“He should retract or resign. Some have courts in a deplorable state; judges don’t have cars, but the Chief Justice is not concerned; rather, he is interested in visiting state institutions,” he also said on the Key Points.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has come under public attack for praising state institutions that have recorded profits, as put out by the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA).
During a visit to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), and Minerals Income Investment Fund, he said among others that, ” “looking at the recent performance of some of the State institutions, one wonders what we have been doing in the past eight years.”
Reacting to the comments, Haruna Mohammed said, “The Chief Justice must retract and apologise or resign and be sent to the Council of State.
“A former Chief Justice has resigned and there is a vacancy there,” he added.
Mr Mohammed cited provisions of the Constitution, Code of Conduct of Judges and other documents to underscore his point that the “Chief Justice erred.”
“If you did not see the video, you will think that he is an NDC communicator who has been tasked to go and praise the President,” Mohammed stressed.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Secretary, Mr Musah Ahmed, has explained that the comments made by the Chief Justice were made without malice.
This is contained in a press release dated September 4.
“The Chief Justice has taken note of the mixed public reaction to some observations he made recently on the performance of State-owned entities during an outreach engagement.
The observations were made in good faith, and were not intended to serve a purpose inimical to judicial independence,” Mr Ahmed wrote.
