By Ghana News
Copyright ghanamma
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has rejected claims by the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, that the Association has been selective in its advocacy and aligned itself with partisan interests.
Dr. Ayine, speaking at the opening of the GBA’s Annual General Conference on Monday, September 15, 2025, accused the Association of inconsistency in its public stance on Article 146 petitions that led to the removal of key public officials.
He cited the removals of former CHRAJ Commissioner Lauretta Lamptey in 2015, former Electoral Commission Chair Charlotte Osei in 2018, and, most recently, former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
According to the Attorney General, the Bar remained silent during the first two removals but publicly voiced concerns only in the case of Justice Torkornoo, thereby creating an impression of political bias.
Responding to these claims, the Public Relations Officer of the GBA, Saviour Kudze, said the Bar strongly disagrees with the Attorney General’s assertion.
“The Bar’s position is clear — we respectfully disagree with him,” Kudze said. “Reading his own speech, he referenced the removal of [former] CHRAJ boss Lauretta Lamptey and [former] EC Chair Charlotte Osei, both under Article 146, when there were no regulations in place. Yet the processes went on.”
Kudze explained that beyond those two high-profile cases, several superior court judges have also been removed using the same constitutional article, even without formal regulations guiding the process.
He further argued that the Bar’s current call for regulations to guide the application of Article 146 is not a matter of partisanship, but of principle and institutional maturity.
“If, as a society, we are now deciding to formalize this process and the Bar is advocating for clear regulations, what is partisan about that?” he questioned. “Even as human beings, the fact that you didn’t take a certain decision yesterday doesn’t mean you can’t take it today or tomorrow. So I think he got it wrong. We disagree with him.”
The GBA maintains that its recent positions are aimed at strengthening constitutional governance and due process, and not to support or oppose any political interest.
The exchange reflects growing tensions between legal and political institutions in Ghana, particularly on the role of the Bar in matters of national importance.
GBA must speak up to defend rule of law, not politics – Ayine
