The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has argued that acting Chief and Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, is more than qualified for the role.
The Attorney General also being a member of parliament, contributed to the debate on the Appointments Committee’s report on the vetting of the president’s chief justice nominee.
Dr. Ayine argued that based on the constitutional requirements for the role of Chief Justice as found in article 128 clause 4 of the constitution, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has more than it takes to meet all those requirements.
“There are three main criteria for qualification as a justice of the superior courts. One is high moral character and proven integrity, and that the person should have not less than 15 years’ experience as a lawyer.
“Mr. Speaker, the Honorable Chief Justice, the Honorable Paul Baffoe-Bonnie more than qualifies within the context of Article 128 Clause 4 of the Constitution.”
Hon. Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, Attorney General and Minister for Justice
The Attorney General stated that Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has been at the superior courts for more than 30 years, with no incident of questionable acts of integrity on his part.
He also stated that prior to the chief justice nominee appearing before the appointments committee for the vetting, the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), previously known as BNI, did a background check on him.
He noted that the NIB report came back with a “clean bill of health,” adding that the chief justice nominee is “squeaky-clean as far as his job as a justice of the superior courts is concerned.”
Dr. Ayine further argued that given the constitutional requirement he had outlined, there were no questions to be raised against the approval of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice when it comes to meeting the constitutional criteria.
He further emphasized that the majority side of parliament, where he belongs, “have no doubt that the President of the Republic appointed the right person to the position of Chief Justice of the Republic.”
The Need for Experience to Restore Confidence
Dr. Ayine also argued that considering the recent challenges facing the judiciary, there is the need for an experienced person to lead and steer the institution out of the “storm.”
He emphasized that the judiciary is at a crossroads, where public trust is fast declining when it comes to its performance.
He emphasized that it was not just his personal view with respect to the performance of the judiciary but views that have been confirmed by various empirical studies.
“In that respect, you need an experience hand to steer the affairs of the judiciary and take us out of that storm. And the right person at this moment in time is no other than the person who has served the judiciary with distinction for over three decades.”
Hon. Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, Attorney General and Minister for Justice
Dr. Ayine further highlighted the Chief Justice nominee’s performance before the Appointments Committee with regard to how he answered questions.
He noted that the nominee answered questions with brilliance, and from an experienced standpoint
He further contended that Justice Baffoe-Bonnie, being someone who knows the judiciary inside out, makes him “the right person who will steer us out of the troubles that we are now facing in terms of the institutional performance of the judiciary.”
Dr. Ayine also noted that the Chief Justice nominee’s answer to how he was going to transform the judiciary was what caught his attention as Attorney General and Minister of Justice
“He gave us three cardinal pillars on which he is going to transform the judiciary. He said he is going to introduce rules relating to procedural clarity and flexibility.
“Second, he is going to introduce efficiency in justice delivery, and third, accountability at all levels of judicial decision-making.”
Hon. Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, Attorney General and Minister for Justice
Dr. Ayine therefore argued that such transformative initiatives are “what we need at this point in time in our history,” adding that “this is what we need for the judiciary to be independent and to perform and deliver justice to the people of this country.”
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