Paul Baffoe-Bonnie Nominated as New Chief Justice
....President Mahama forwards nomination to Council of State for advice
Accra, September 23, 2025 – President John Dramani Mahama has nominated Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as Ghana’s next Chief Justice. The President has formally written to the Council of State seeking its advice on the appointment, in accordance with Article 144(1) of the 1992 Constitution.
A statement issued on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, by the Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, confirmed the nomination.
“President John Dramani Mahama has, in accordance with Article 144(1) of the 1992 Constitution, forwarded the name of His Lordship Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie to the Council of State for consideration as Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana,” the statement sighted by THE ARCHIVES read.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie has been serving as Acting Chief Justice since April 2025 following the suspension—and subsequent removal—of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. Justice Torkornoo was dismissed from office for stated misbehaviour, following findings by a constitutional committee established under Article 146 of the Constitution.
Currently the most senior Justice on the Supreme Court, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie was appointed to the apex court in June 2008 by then-President John Agyekum Kufuor.
Born on December 26, 1956, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie began his education in Goaso and continued at Konongo Odumase Secondary School, where he obtained both his Ordinary and Advanced Level certificates. He pursued legal studies at the University of Ghana and the Ghana School of Law, and was called to the Bar in 1983.
He has served in various capacities within the judiciary, including as a Circuit Court Judge in Kumasi, a High Court Judge in Duayaw Nkwanta, and a Justice of the Court of Appeal, before rising to the Supreme Court.
If approved, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie will officially assume leadership of the Judiciary at a critical time, following the dramatic removal of his predecessor.
The Council of State is expected to provide its advice in the coming days. Parliament will then vet the nominee before confirming his appointment.
