The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns over the ongoing engagements by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, questioning the purpose and timing of his visits to key state institutions, including the Ghana Police Service and Parliament.

Addressing journalists at a press briefing on Monday, 26 January, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin said the Chief Justice’s movements create the impression of a “thank you tour” following his appointment.

“And by the way, we have seen that My Lord Baffo-Bonnie and his management are all over at the various ministries, including Jubilee House,” the Minority Leader said.

“Is he on a thank-you tour? Is My Lord Baffo-Bonnie on a thank you tour, thanking the government for appointing him as Chief Justice?”

Mr Afenyo-Markin disclosed that the Minority had also been informed of the Chief Justice’s planned visit to Parliament but stressed that they would not participate.

“We, the Minority, don’t see him as a tolerant head of the judiciary. Members of the Minority were attacked when we criticised the processes leading to his nomination.”

For that reason, he said, the Minority would boycott what he described as a “thank-you talk”.

“We will therefore not be part of his thank-you talk. If he wants to engage us, our offices are open. He should come and engage us and we’ll let him know the things that we find wrong,” he added.

The Minority Leader further accused the government of undermining Ghana’s credibility through its domestic actions.

“A government that tolerates opaque law-making schemes orchestrated by the Central Bank, that turns prosecution into a political weapon, that attacks judicial independence by unconstitutionally removing a Chief Justice, and that allows the ongoing destruction of our rivers, is steadily destroying the very credibility it seeks to display abroad,” he said.

In recent weeks, Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has embarked on a series of courtesy and institutional visits. He paid a courtesy call on Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang in Accra, where he briefed her on the judiciary’s achievements and priority initiatives, including efforts to decongest courts and expand Alternative Dispute Resolution services.

He also met the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, in what was described as a courtesy call aimed at strengthening collaboration between the Judiciary and the Finance Ministry. During the meeting, the Chief Justice raised concerns about court congestion and the need for improved working conditions within the judiciary.

Justice Baffoe-Bonnie further visited the Ministry of Education to discuss areas of cooperation between the judiciary and the education sector, particularly in strengthening legal education and civic responsibility.

On Monday, the Chief Justice began another round of institutional visits to key state bodies, including the Ghana Police Service and Parliament, as part of efforts to enhance collaboration and coordination across Ghana’s justice and governance architecture.

However, the Minority has characterised the engagements as a “thank-you tour”, arguing that they appear politically motivated rather than purely judicial in nature.