Paul Baffoe-Bonnie Sworn in as Ghana’s New Chief Justice
- Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has been sworn in as Ghana's latest Chief Justice by President John Mahama
- Baffoe-Bonnie has been Acting Chief Justice since April 22, 2025, following the suspension and dismissal of Gertrude Torkornoo
- Mahama urged him to strengthen integrity within the Judiciary as he assumed the position of Chief Justice
President John Mahama has sworn in Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as Ghana’s 16th Chief Justice.
The President first nominated Justice Baffoe-Bonnie on September 23, 2025, highlighting his extensive judicial career across the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court, as well as his decades of service on the Bench.
Source: Twitter
Baffoe-Bonnie has been Acting Chief Justice since April 22, 2025, following the suspension and later dismissal of Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
In his speech at the presidency on November 17, Mahama urged him to strengthen integrity within the Judiciary.
Baffoe-Bonnie also stressed the importance of improving trust in the courts when he delivered his first speech.
“Our Judiciary must be independent, impartial, and accessible. It must not serve the powerful or the connected at the expense of the weak and the vulnerable."
"It must resist any incursions on its freedoms but also embrace accountability, transparency, and continuous reform."
Paul Baffoe-Bonnie's profile
Baffoe-Bonnie was born on December 26, 1956, to parents Opanyin Baffoe-Bonnie from Sewua in the Bosomtwe district and Ama Kyerewaa from Breman in Kumasi.
His primary school education was at the Goaso Local Authority primary and middle schools, completing his Middle School Leaving Certificate examinations in the late 1960s.
He attended Konongo Odumase Secondary School, where he obtained his GCE Ordinary Level and GCE Advanced Level certificates from 1969 to 1976. He then attended the University of Ghana and later the Ghana Law School. Baffoe-Bonnie was called to the Bar in Ghana in 1983.
He worked as a Circuit Court Judge at Kumasi and served as High Court Judge at Duayaw Nkwanta.
He was appointed an Appeals Court Judge in 2006. The accomplished Baffoe-Bonnie would later be appointed a Supreme Court Judge by the former President of Ghana, John Kufuor, in June 2008.
Why was Torkornoo removed as Chief Justice?
Torkornoo was removed following a recommendation by the committee probing complaints against her.
She had been on suspension since April 2025 after complaints were lodged against her in five petitions.
The investigative committee found that grounds of stated misbehaviour had been established following its probe.
Source: Facebook
She was found to have engaged in unlawful expenditure of public funds, abuse of discretionary power, and interference in judicial appointments.
For the unlawful expenditure of public funds, she authorised the Judicial Service to cover travel expenses and per diem allowances for her husband and daughter during private holiday trips in 2023.
Minority members boycott Chief Justice nominee vetting
YEN.com.gh earlier reported that members of the Minority on the Appointments Committee of Parliament boycotted the vetting of Chief Justice nominee Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.
Their decision followed dissatisfaction expressed by the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, over the nomination process.
The boycott came in protest against the appointment, which followed the controversial removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
