Former Auditor-General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo, has cautioned Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, against making pronouncements on political matters that may end up before the courts, stressing that such statements risk fueling perceptions of bias within the Judiciary.
He noted that while the Chief Justice might be aiming to deepen cooperation between the Judiciary and other state bodies, some of his recent public remarks could cast doubt on the neutrality of the courts.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Saturday, September 5, which was monitored by the Ghanaian Radar, Mr Domelevo called on public office holders, especially those in critical constitutional roles, to be circumspect about how their comments may be construed.
“My wish is that if it is possible, the Chief Justice should stop commenting on some political issues, especially issues that can later on cover litigation coming back to the court,” he stated.
He pointed out that openly labelling an institution as corrupt or non-performing could be prejudicial should cases concerning that institution later be brought before the courts.
“If you already make it known that this institution is corrupt or inefficient or has so and so, one may think that you are already prejudiced,” he noted.
His caution comes on the back of comments made by the Chief Justice during recent visits to state institutions, where he lauded the performance of some public entities under the current government while questioning accomplishments over the past eight years.
Mr Domelevo admitted that the Chief Justice’s motives may have been well-intentioned but advised him to be more guarded in his public commentary on politically sensitive issues.
He said such restraint would help safeguard both the real and perceived independence and impartiality of the Judiciary.
