The Judicial Service of Ghana has clarified the circumstances surrounding a visit undertaken by Chief Justice (CJ) Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to the camp of the Black Stars in Canada before their game against Panama on June 17 in the FIFA World Cup.
According to the Service, the CJ undertook the visit in his private capacity and entirely at his own expense.
The clarification follows public assertions by Ghanaians after Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie was spotted among a delegation by Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, who visited the Black Stars at their hotel in Toronto on Tuesday, 16 June 2026.
A June 19 statement issued by the Communications Department of the Judicial Service emphasised that the Chief Justice personally funded his trip to Canada whilst currently on official vacation.
“While public interest in matters concerning holders of high public office is understandable and forms an important aspect of democratic accountability, it is necessary to place the facts surrounding the matter in their proper context.
“The Chief Justice is currently on official vacation. His trip to Canada was undertaken in his private capacity and entirely at his own expense,” the Service said in a statement.
It added that the CJ, as a patriotic Ghanaian and keen sports enthusiast, took the opportunity to visit the Black Stars camp to offer words of encouragement and support as they participated in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
The visit, according to the Service, was motivated solely by a desire to support the national team and should be viewed in that light.
“Photographs taken during the visit have, however, generated commentary and speculation that do not accurately reflect the circumstances under which they were taken.”
The Judicial Service educates the general public that judicial independence does not require judges to withdraw entirely from society or cease to participate in ordinary aspects of national life.
It therefore respectfully urges the public to view the matter in its proper context and to disregard unfounded suggestions that seek to attribute meanings and motives to what was, in essence, an ordinary and patriotic gesture of support for Ghana’s national team.
