Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirant Dr Arthur Kennedy has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the conduct of Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, saying the incident was “beneath the dignity” of his office and did not reflect well on the judiciary.
In a video message addressed to Ghanaians, Dr Kennedy criticised both NPP and National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters whom he accused of applying double standards in their assessment of the controversy.
He argued that supporters of both political parties should be consistent in their condemnation of conduct they consider inappropriate, regardless of which political side is involved.
“First, all the NPP people who saw nothing wrong with what Torkornoo did, but see everything wrong with what Baffoe-Bonnie did now, are hypocrites. They should keep quiet,” he said.
“Equally, all the NDC people who saw everything wrong with what Torkornoo did but see everything right about this are hypocrites too, and they should keep quiet.”
Having made that point, Dr Kennedy turned his attention to the Chief Justice, arguing that his primary responsibility should be to strengthen the judiciary rather than involve himself in matters concerning state-owned enterprises.
“Mr Chief Justice, your place as Chief Justice is not to be toying with state-owned enterprises and making the remarks that you made,” he said.
According to him, some of the comments attributed to the Chief Justice gave the impression that he was acting more like a government or NDC official than the head of Ghana’s judiciary.
“Indeed, you sounded like an NDC official, unfortunately,” Dr Kennedy stated.
He suggested that the Chief Justice should instead concentrate on challenges within the judicial system that, in his view, require urgent attention.
Among the issues he cited were the appellate process, cases involving prisoners who have spent extended periods in custody, lost case dockets, alleged judicial corruption, and the assignment of judicial panels.
He also referenced findings from Afrobarometer on perceptions of corruption in the judiciary, arguing that these were more important areas for the Chief Justice to address.
“If you are looking for things to do, there are a lot of things you can improve in our judiciary,” he said.
Dr Kennedy said tackling such challenges would help strengthen public confidence in the justice system and contribute positively to the Chief Justice’s legacy.
Dr Kennedy further urged the Chief Justice to reflect on the controversy and issue an apology.
“What you did was beneath the dignity of your office and it did not reflect well on you or the judiciary,” he said.
“I hope you can find it in your heart to apologise and pledge to do no more.”
He also rejected the suggestion that the Chief Justice should require specific ethical rules before recognising that certain conduct could be inappropriate.
“And by the way, the Chief Justice does not need ethical laws to know that what he did was wrong,” he said.
According to him, the head of Ghana’s judiciary should be expected to understand instinctively the standards of conduct required of the office.
“If he does, then maybe he is not a worthy officeholder. A Chief Justice instinctively must know that things like this are inappropriate and avoid them,” Dr Kennedy added.
He stressed that the Chief Justice occupies a position that requires exemplary conduct because of the influence of the office on the wider judiciary.
“He is the exemplar for our judiciary. I urge you, Mr Chief Justice, not to disappoint us,” he said.
Dr Kennedy’s comments add to the growing public debate over the Chief Justice’s conduct and the expectations surrounding the constitutional and ethical responsibilities of the head of Ghana’s judiciary.
By 1960news.com
