NPP Attacks Chief Justice, Attorney-General on claims of Judiciary Selective Vacation Trials
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie and the Attorney-General of undermining judicial independence through what it describes as the “selective” scheduling of criminal trials involving members and associates of the party during the legal vacation.
The party warned that the Judiciary risks losing public confidence if it allows itself to be used to advance what it considers the prosecutorial agenda of the Executive.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the NPP said the Chief Justice’s decision to issue special warrants to two High Court judges to conduct full criminal trials during the legal vacation “betrays” the constitutional expectation of judicial independence.
“The Judiciary must never become an annex of the Office of the Attorney-General,” the party stated.
The NPP said 29 courts are currently operating as vacation courts across the country. According to the party, the established practice is for vacation courts to deal mainly with motions and urgent interlocutory applications, while substantive criminal trials are generally suspended until the legal term resumes.
It, however, noted that two courts presided over by Justices Achibonga and Kocuvie-Tay had been granted special warrants to conduct full trials requiring the physical presence of accused persons and their lawyers.
“Every one of the affected cases is a prosecution of persons associated with the NPP,” the party alleged.
The NPP subsequently challenged the Chief Justice to explain why the special arrangements had been made for only the two courts and the cases before them.
“Why only these two courts, and why only these cases?” the party asked.
It further questioned: “If the vacation can pause the trial of a murder suspect, why can it not pause the trial of political opponents of the government?”
According to the NPP, the circumstances create the impression that the objective is not the administration of justice but the continued incarceration of NPP personalities.
The party also disclosed that the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) and lawyers representing the accused persons had formally petitioned the Chief Justice over the matter.
It said lawyers from Messrs Zoe, Akyea & Co. and Messrs Dame & Partners, in letters dated August 5, 2026, notified the Chief Justice of their unavailability to participate in the proceedings.
The NPP further said the GBA wrote to the Chief Justice on August 10, reminding him that vacation courts traditionally do not conduct trials where defence counsel are unavailable.
Despite the petitions, the party said the special warrants remained in force and accused the Chief Justice of publicly defending the decision.
The NPP cited a recent court proceeding in which one of the judges allegedly gave an accused person an ultimatum to secure new counsel within days or conduct the cross-examination personally, failing which a prosecution witness would be discharged.
“What happened today was not case management. It was the strangulation of the fair trial rights of a citizen,” the party stated.
The NPP invoked Article 19(2)(f) of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees an accused person the right to legal representation by a lawyer of their choice.
The party also linked the controversy to the appointment of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie as Chief Justice, describing his confirmation as having followed what it called the “unprecedented and contested removal” of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
“His confirmation was pushed through over the objection and walkout of the Minority in Parliament. He is, in every practical sense, the product of a partisan route to office,” the NPP alleged.
The party nevertheless said it expected the Chief Justice to discharge his constitutional responsibilities with strict independence.
“Instead, his conduct in facilitating these selective trials, in apparent concert with the Attorney-General’s agenda against NPP personalities, betrays that expectation,” it stated.
The NPP is demanding the immediate withdrawal of the special vacation trial warrants, compliance with the GBA’s petition, restoration of the traditional practice governing vacation courts and the rescission of the ultimatum allegedly given to accused persons.
Citing Article 125(1) of the Constitution, which states that “justice emanates from the people,” the party warned that public officials involved in the administration of justice must ultimately be accountable for their actions.
“Retirement from office confers no immunity from that accountability. History, and where appropriate the law, will render its verdict,” the NPP stated.
The party concluded by reaffirming its commitment to the rule of law and judicial independence, while warning that it would “resist, by every lawful means, the weaponisation of the courts against our members and against any Ghanaian.”
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