President Mahama Nominates Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as Next Chief Justice

President John Mahama has nominated Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to serve as the country’s next Chief Justice. In a formal communication to the Council of State, the President sought its advice on the appointment.

A statement from the Presidency described Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as a distinguished jurist who has “served with diligence and integrity” and made “invaluable contributions to Ghanaian jurisprudence.” It noted that his intellect, impartiality, and deep commitment to justice have earned him widespread respect across the Bench, the Bar, and the legal fraternity.

The nomination comes after the removal of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo for stated misbehaviour, following the findings of a constitutional committee established under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.

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Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, who has been acting in the role since April 2025 after Justice Torkornoo’s suspension, is currently the most senior judge on the Supreme Court. He was appointed to the apex court in June 2008 by former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

Born on December 26, 1956, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie began his education in Goaso before attending Konongo Odumase Secondary School, where he obtained both his O- and A-Level certificates. He later studied law at the University of Ghana and the Ghana Law School, being called to the Bar in 1983.

Over his judicial career, he has served as a Circuit Court Judge in Kumasi, a High Court Judge at Duayaw Nkwanta, and later as an Appeals Court Judge, before rising to the Supreme Court.

If approved, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie will formally assume leadership of the judiciary at a pivotal time, following the unprecedented removal of his predecessor. The Council of State is expected to advise the President in the coming days, after which Parliament will vet and decide on his nomination.

Story By: Afia Ohenewaa Akyerem