Acting CJ Raises Concern About Ethics in Legal Practice: "A Lawyer Stole Mobile Phone in Court"
- Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has expressed worry over rising ethical violations in Ghana's legal profession
- He shared cases of misconduct, including a lawyer accused of phone theft, during a UPSA Moot Court commissioning
- Baffoe-Bonnie, appointed Acting CJ after Justice Gertrude Torkornoo’s suspension, said the profession was at risk
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The Acting Chief Justice (CJ) of Ghana, His Lordship Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has raised concerns about what he described as violations in the legal profession by some of its practitioners.
Speaking at the commissioning of a new Moot Court facility at the University of Professional Studies (UPSA), on Monday, July 21, he lamented a growing culture of misconduct within the country's legal community.
Source: UGC
Baffoe-Bonnie, who chairs the disciplinary committee of the General Legal Council (GLC), said he had adjudicated on several issues bordering on misconduct by practitioners, a situation that gave him a headache over the future of the legal profession in Ghana.
"Just as you feel disgusted by students dressing shabbily to come to school, you must be wondering how a lawyer manages to pass through the school," he said in a ModernGhana publication.
"I happen to be the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the GLC, and the sort of infractions and ethical breaches that appear before us make you wonder where the world is heading," he reportedly added.
The Acting Chief Justice cited a case involving a lawyer accused of stealing a mobile phone from his colleague inside the Tema Court.
Baffoe-Bonnie named Acting Chief Justice
Baffoe-Bonnie was named the Acting CJ by President John Mahama after the suspension of the substantive Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Torkornoo, in April 2025, following allegations against her that were deemed to have substance.
The suspension marked a first in Ghana’s history, and a committee was established to investigate the claims against the Chief Justice.
Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana governed the process for the removal of a chief justice. The suspension sparked protests from the opposition, who organised a demonstration march.
Gertrude Torkornoo's legal battles with the state
President Mahama received five petitions requesting the removal of Chief Justice Torkornoo, which resulted in her suspension.
A committee was constituted to investigate the first three petitions, which accused her of misconduct and abuse of power.
On May 21, 2025 Torkornoo filed a suit, later dismissed, challenging the legitimacy of the committee set up by Mahama.
Court records indicated she attempted to bar Justices Gabriel Scott Pwamang and Samuel Kwame Adibu-Asiedu, along with other members including Daniel Yao Domelevo, Major Flora Bazuwaaruah Dalugo, and Professor James Sefah Dziasah, from taking part in the probe.
She also objected to holding the hearings at Adu Lodge, located at the Osu Castle and designated as a security zone, arguing it diverged from previous hearings held at the Judicial Service’s Court Complex.
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Torkornoo further criticised the committee for not disclosing the legal basis or criteria used to establish a prima facie case against her.
Source: UGC
Gertrude Torkornoo challenges impeachment proceedings
YEN.com.gh also reported that suspended Chief Justice Torkornoo made new complaints about attempts to impeach her.
In a supplementary affidavit filed with the Supreme Court of Ghana, she called the proceedings 'a mockery of justice'.
Torkornoo claimed she was subjected to mental distress by the Justice Pwamang-led committee that probed her.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
