The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has criticised Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie for his comments about state-owned enterprises (SOEs), saying his comments were inappropriate.

Her comments come amid remarks made by Justice Baffoe-Bonnie during a visit to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on Wednesday, September 2.

The Chief Justice praised MIIF and other public institutions under the current administration and said some of the developments he had witnessed had left him wondering what Ghana had been doing over the previous eight years.

GBA President, Efua Ghartey, expressed the association’s concerns while speaking at the Ghana Bar Association Conference 2026/27 in Ada on Monday, September 14.

The conference was being held under the theme, “150 Years of Ghana’s Legal Evolution: Transforming the Profession and Driving its Future with Industry.”

Ms Ghartey said the Chief Justice’s recent commendation of a public institution, together with his comparison of its output to that of a previous government, was particularly troubling given his position.

“The recent commendation of a public institution and the comparison to a past government’s output, by no mean a person than the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, left much to be desired,” she said.

The GBA President said the Bar was reluctant to interpret the remarks as a reflection of any underlying sentiment but nonetheless drew attention to the biblical admonition in Matthew 12:34.

“We do not want to believe that what happened is a fulfilment of Matthew 12:34, which says, ‘Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh,’” she stated.

Ms Ghartey also criticised the response from the Judicial Secretary in an apparent attempt to explain or defend the Chief Justice’s comments.

According to her, the explanation did little to address the concerns raised by the Bar.

“Respectfully, the Judicial Secretary’s attempted defence of the Chief Justice was, at best, lacklustre,” she said.

She stressed that the GBA’s position should not be interpreted as an attempt to undermine the Judiciary or its independence.

Rather, she said, the Bar remained committed to protecting the independence of the Judiciary as guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution.

The GBA President, however, cautioned that the protection of judicial independence must be accompanied by respect for the constitutional limits placed on public office holders.

She referred specifically to Article 128(4) of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees the independence of the Judiciary, and reaffirmed the Bar’s commitment to upholding that principle.

“The Bar wishes to serve a reminder that much as it is poised to protect the independence of the Judiciary, as per Article 128(4) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, the guarded must stay within their bounds as dictated by their calling in the Constitution,” she said.

Ms stressed the need for those entrusted with constitutional responsibilities to remain within the limits of their respective mandates.