The Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has questioned Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie’s recent visits to state-owned institutions, describing the development as unusual and unprecedented.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said he was surprised by the Chief Justice’s decision to tour institutions including the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), arguing that such engagements were uncommon for the Judiciary.
He made the comments on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, following remarks by the Chief Justice during his visit to MIIF.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie had praised developments at some state institutions, saying his observations had left him questioning what Ghana had been doing over the past eight years. He also referred to his earlier visit to SSNIT, which he said reinforced his view that some public institutions were performing significantly better.
However, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said he could not recall any instance in Ghana’s recent political history where a Chief Justice had undertaken official tours of state-owned enterprises.
“For all the years that I have followed politics and governance, I haven’t heard of such that the Chief Justice will be touring state-owned enterprises. I haven’t heard of that before,” he said.
The former Information Minister stressed that the Judiciary is an independent arm of government and traditionally maintains a degree of separation from the Executive and Legislature.
“The Judiciary is supposed to be more or less independent. It’s an arm of government on its own; they don’t mingle with whether it’s the Legislature or the Executive,” he stated.
He said judges have generally avoided public engagements that could create the perception that the Judiciary is becoming involved in political or governance matters.
“It is a well-known, established practice that the Judiciary doesn’t mingle, so you don’t see judges going around mingling in public,” he added.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said he was therefore uncertain about the basis for the Chief Justice’s visits to the institutions and expressed concern about the implications of his public comments on their performance.
His remarks come amid recent criticism from some quarters over what has been perceived as the Chief Justice’s closeness to officials of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to Mr Oppong Nkrumah, the visits and comments could further fuel concerns about the Judiciary becoming involved in matters traditionally associated with the Executive.
“So, if upon that now there are official tours that are going on, it’s bewildering, and then I find it strange to hear some of these comments being made by the Judiciary,” he said.
He maintained that the Judiciary must preserve its independence and avoid being drawn into political and governance debates.
“My first reaction is that this is bewildering; it’s absolutely shocking. This is unprecedented. I haven’t seen that before, that the Judiciary will get involved at this level,” he added.
