My nomination is meritorious …Acting CJ states

The Chief Justice (CJ) nominee and Acting CJ, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has stated that his nomination by President John Dramani Mahama was based on merit and his years of service, not on any political grounds.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie indicated that he had risen through the ranks to the position of a Supreme Court Judge under both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administrations.

“I wouldn’t know what goes on in the President’s mind since I am not there, but I actually will be disappointed if my only qualification will be for voting for the President in 2013, during the hearing of the 2013 election petition,” Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said.

“I have been a Supreme Court judge for the past 17 years, and so I think I qualify for the position. If you look at my trajectory, I was a Circuit Court judge under Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, then I was promoted in 2000 and sworn in by the then Vice President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills. Later, I was promoted to the Court of Appeal and then to the Supreme Court by former President John Agyekum Kufuor,” he stated.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie made these remarks when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament, chaired by Mr Bernard Ahiafor, MP for Akatsi South, during his vetting process.

The CJ nominee revealed that he had held discussions with the Attorney-General to explore ways to resource the Legal Aid Scheme to make justice more accessible and reduce the high cost of litigation. This, he said, would include the introduction of mobile courts across the country.

Moreover, he announced plans to reintroduce the career magistrate programme, a two-year training initiative for non-lawyers to become magistrates at district courts.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie also called for the consideration of using artificial intelligence (AI) in the empanelling of judges at the Supreme Court to enhance transparency and reduce anxiety surrounding the process.

He noted that there were enough Courts of Appeal across the country to handle appeal cases but expressed concern over the backlog of cases pending in the various courts.

He therefore emphasized the need to review and possibly amend procedures to expedite the clearance of pending cases.

Additionally, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie pledged to foster collaboration and teamwork among judges at the Supreme Court, irrespective of their diverse backgrounds.

He acknowledged the overcrowding of prisons across the country, largely due to people on remand and others unable to secure bail sureties.

To address this, he promised to revive the “Justice for All” initiative and introduce a parole system to help decongest prisons, including the Nsawam Prison.

“I pledge to restore confidence in the Judiciary and lead an era of greater transparency, efficiency, and accessibility in our judiciary. I propose to anchor our transformation on three pillars — procedural clarity and predictability, efficiency and accountability, and open justice,” Justice Baffoe-Bonnie concluded.