Legal expert Kwaku Ansa-Asare, former Director of the Ghana School of Law, has criticised the current Chief Justice for associations he described as improper. Speaking on a Joy news programme,Ansa-Asare stated that it is improper for the Chief Justice to be seen in the company of certain people he has associated with,especially members of the ruling NDC government.
The remark comes amid ongoing scrutiny of judicial conduct and independence following major changes at the apex court. President John Dramani Mahama suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo in April 2025 after receiving petitions alleging misconduct. A committee of inquiry later recommended her removal, which the President effected in September 2025.
Torkornoo, the third female Chief Justice and an appointee of the previous NPP administration, rejected the allegations as politically motivated. The Supreme Court upheld her suspension, and legal challenges to the process were unsuccessful.
Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, who served as Acting Chief Justice, was nominated by President Mahama, vetted by Parliament, and sworn in as substantive Chief Justice on 17 November 2025.
Ansa-Asare has been a prominent commentator on these developments. He previously defended the removal process, noting that the Chief Justice did not aid her case through certain public actions during the inquiry.
The latest comments on the panel have reignited partisan debate online, with critics accusing Ansa-Asare of bias while others view his remarks as a call for stricter ethical standards in the judiciary to safeguard public confidence.