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The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has called for the immediate revocation of the suspension of the Chief Justice, describing the presidential action as unconstitutional and lacking the requisite legal framework.
In a strongly worded resolution passed at its 2025 Mid-Year Conference held at the Labadi Beach Hotel on April 26, the GBA expressed deep concerns over what it termed as the President’s discretionary overreach in the absence of any published Constitutional or Statutory Instrument regulating such a decision.
“The Ghana Bar Association calls for the immediate revocation of the suspension of the Chief Justice as it considers the suspension to be unconstitutional,” the resolution stated. It added that “the President who is not a judge or judicial officer exercised his discretion to suspend the Chief Justice under Article 146(10) of the 1992 Constitution in the absence of a published Constitutional Instrument, Statutory Instrument or Regulation(s) governing the exercise of his said discretion as required by Article 296 of the 1992 Constitution.”
The Association further urged the immediate enactment of clear and comprehensive regulations to govern Article 146 proceedings, particularly concerning the impeachment or removal of superior court justices. According to the Bar, such measures would “ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness.”
It also demanded the release of the full decision establishing a prima facie case against the Chief Justice, citing established precedent and the need for public confidence in the judicial process. “This disclosure is necessary to ensure that the process is conducted in accordance with the principles of transparency and fairness,” it said.
The legal body concluded its declaration with a firm denunciation of “any and all unsubstantiated political commentary or statements that seek to undermine the authority, independence, and integrity of the Judiciary,” vowing to take all appropriate legal measures to protect the judiciary from “undue interference or unjustifiable attacks.”