The Minority in Parliament has called for an immediate suspension of all proceedings relating to the nomination of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice.
According to them, the process must be halted until all pending suits and applications directly connected to the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo are fully determined or withdrawn.
In a motion filed on October 29 and signed by 6 Minority Members of Parliament, they cited Articles 110(1), 125–127, 144(1), and 146 of the 1992 Constitution, and Standing Orders 57(1)-(3), 93, 103(1), 216, and 217, as the basis for the request.
“Suspend forthwith all further proceedings, both at the Appointments Committee and at Plenary, on the nomination of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice until all pending suits and applications directly bearing on the removal of Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo are finally determined or withdrawn.” they wrote.
The pending suits include ECOWAS Court Suit No. ECW/CCJ/APP/32/25 on provisional measures, as well as multiple Supreme Court proceedings, and High Court applications.
The Minority further proposed that the Business Committee reprogram parliamentary business and that the Appointments Committee stand down any scheduled vetting of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie.
They also demanded that the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice should appear before Parliament to brief members on the current status of all pending litigation.
The motion requested that the briefing should cover:
(1) the identity, jurisdictions, and procedural status of all such proceedings
(2) any provisional measures, interim orders, or conservatory orders sought or granted
(3) the reliefs sought and their implications for the office of Chief Justice
(4) Ghana’s obligations under regional treaties relevant to the ECOWAS Court proceedings
(5) the government’s assessment of the potential legal and constitutional implications of proceeding with a new appointment, and
(6) any other matters relevant to Parliament’s informed exercise of its constitutional duties.
The Minority added, “the Government must not act in a manner that prejudices the outcome of judicial proceedings or undermines Ghana’s international obligations under regional treaties.”
Former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo and her lawyer, Kwamena Adu-Kusi, also filed an application at the High Court seeking to stop the appointment of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as the next Chief Justice.
The suit, filed on October 16, forms part of her continuing challenge to her removal from office.
