Former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, says the next Chief Justice should have candour, be of bold spirit and be less corrupt.

According to Mr. Ansa-Asare, the outgoing Chief Justice, Justice Anin-Yeboah, has failed to live up to these attributes, thus the need for the next Chief Justice to do so.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Mr Ansa-Asare said, “What we are looking for in a new Chief Justice is a person with integrity, honesty, candour, courage, who can look the governance institution in the eye including their heads and tell them the truth and not try to suck up to the authorities, especially the president.

“For me, we have so far had chief justices in the past three years who haven’t lived up to my expectation as very courageous and bold spirits. I’m therefore expecting that the next chief justice will be one imbued with courage dynamism, integrity, honesty, virtue and all that. Less corrupt, with no corrupt things in his or her bag.”

His comment follows President Akufo-Addo’s nomination of JSC Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkonoo for the astute position.

The President in a letter to the Council of State on Tuesday, April 25, said her nomination is to avoid any vacuum that would occur following the retirement of the current Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah on May 24. 

Justice Torkornoo per this nomination, will be vetted by Parliament which will either approve her nomination or otherwise. 

If she is approved, she will become the third female Chief Justice in the history of Ghana after Justices Georgina Theodora Wood and Sophia Akuffo.