Speaker Bagbin refers CJ nominee to Appointments Committee despite Torkonoo’s pending suit

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has referred the nomination of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice to the Appointments Committee for vetting and recommendation.

This follows the submission of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s name to Parliament by President John Dramani Mahama for consideration and approval in accordance with Article 144(1) of the 1992 Constitution.

Speaker Bagbin, who made the referral on the floor of the House, directed the Appointments Committee to expedite its work and submit a report to the plenary for a final decision.

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Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie was nominated by President Mahama on 23 September 2025, in line with Article 144(1) of the Constitution, following consultations with the Council of State.

Meanwhile, the development comes amid a pending judicial review application filed by former Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkonoo, who is seeking to halt the consideration and appointment of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as Ghana’s next Chief Justice.

The application, filed on Thursday, 16 October 2025, by her legal team led by lawyer Kwabena Adu-Kusi, challenges the legality of her removal from office. According to Justice Torkonoo, her removal based on the findings and recommendations of a committee established by the President under Article 146(6) and (7) of the 1992 Constitution was unconstitutional.

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She further argues that the findings of the five-member committee, chaired by Justice Gabriel Pwamang, were false and misleading. Excerpts from the 278-page application describe the committee’s conclusions as “irrational, absurd and perverse in the Wednesbury sense.”

Justice Torkonoo also contends that the committee’s proceedings breached several constitutional provisions, including Articles 23, 296, 146(3), 146(7), 280(1), and 295, rendering the entire process illegal, void, and of no effect.