Speaker Bagbin Refers Justice Baffoe-Bonnie to Appointments Committee for Vetting

Log in to earn money for reading or sharing this post. You can also earn more money for creating post, free classifieds, and GH₵ 5 per referrer.

Speaker Alban Bagbin has referred the nomination of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie for Chief Justice to the Appointments Committee
Torkornoo, who was recently removed from office, is seeking to stop the vetting process with an injunction filed at the Accra High Court
Speaker Bagbin’s action followed a Supreme Court ruling that constitutional duties cannot be stayed due to ongoing lawsuits

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has referred the nomination of His Lordship Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie for the position of Chief Justice to the Appointments Committee.

This is despite a pending suit and injunction application filed by the former Chief Justice, Her Ladyship, Gertrude Torkornoo, who was recently removed from office.

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Appointment Committee, President John Mahama, Gertrude Torkornoo — Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, refers Paul Baffoe-Bonnie’s nomination as Chief Justice of Ghana to the Appointments Committee. Photo credit: UGC.
Source: UGC

On Friday, October 17, 2025, Gertrude Torkornoo filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the vetting and subsequent appointment of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as the next Chief Justice of Ghana.

In her writ, filed at the Accra High Court, she sought to restrain the President and Parliament from proceeding with the appointment of a new Chief Justice until her challenge is determined.

Speaker Bagbin informs Parliament of Baffoe-Bonnie’s nomination

Upon resumption of parliamentary proceedings on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, Speaker Bagbin read to the House a formal communication from President John Dramani Mahama nominating Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice of the Republic in accordance with Article 144(1) of the 1992 Constitution.

The communication, which was first conveyed to Parliament while the House was on recess, praised the nominee’s integrity, intellect, and long judicial service across the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.

Following this, the Speaker referred the nomination to the Appointments Committee for vetting and a report to the plenary.

The Speaker’s action rests firmly on a recent Supreme Court ruling in the case of Vincent Assafua v. Attorney-General (2025), which held that the performance of constitutional duties cannot be stayed merely because a lawsuit or injunction application has been filed.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has been serving as Acting Chief Justice since April 22, 2025, following the suspension and subsequent removal of Gertrude Torkornoo from office.