A private citizen, Gbande Nabin Yussif, has formally petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to remove the Acting Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, from office on grounds of alleged misconduct.
In his petition, Nabin Yussif invoked Article 146(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which provides for the removal of a Justice of the Superior Court for stated misbehaviour, incompetence, or inability to perform judicial functions.
According to the petitioner, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie made remarks on September 25, 2025, that breached both Ghana’s Judicial Code of Conduct and internationally recognised judicial ethics standards, particularly the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct (2002) — a framework endorsed by the United Nations.
The comments in question reportedly followed a lawsuit filed by Israel Tetteh, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, and a group known as the Ghana Law Society, which sought constitutional reliefs against the Ghana Bar Association.
Nabin Yussif contends that the Acting Chief Justice’s statements were improper and compromised the integrity of the judiciary.
“I respectfully submit this petition for the removal of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana and currently Acting Chief Justice, on the grounds of stated misbehaviour,” the petition reads in part.
He further argued that Justice Baffoe-Bonnie’s conduct violated several ethical standards binding on members of the judiciary, including judicial propriety, independence, impartiality, integrity, and avoidance of conflicts of interest.
The petitioner outlined four key grounds for the removal of the Acting Chief Justice:
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Breach of multiple provisions of Ghana’s Judicial Code of Conduct.
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Violation of internationally recognised principles of judicial behaviour.
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Conduct that undermines the authority and legitimacy of the judiciary.
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Actions that erode public confidence in the administration of justice.
“The conduct of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie amounts to stated misbehaviour within the meaning of Article 146(1),” Nabin Yussif asserted, urging President Mahama to act swiftly to safeguard the integrity of Ghana’s judiciary.
Read the full petition below:
