What is wrong with a Chief Justice praising the President for his distinguished work? – Lawyer Kwame Akuffo asks

A private legal practitioner Kwame Akuffo has expressed disagreement with those criticizing the Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo for acknowledging and praising President Akufo-Addo for his works at the bar.

The comment comes just a couple of weeks after Madam Torkornoo came under fire for describing the President as the ‘most distinguished Lawyer in Ghana’.

The Chief Justice in an opening remarks at the 2024 Africa Conference of the International Association of Women Judges said that “His Excellency is a lawyer and champion of justice and his name is definably hatched in the legal history of this country as the most distinguished legal practitioner. His belief in the rule of law has been evident during his tenure as President and the Judicial Service of Ghana has been a beneficiary of the exceptional level of physical and technological infrastructure during this period.”

But many who disagreed with her felt the comment was unnecessary bearing in mind her position as the Chief Justice of the country.

Speaking with TV3’ Beatrice Adu on this, lawyer Kwame Akuffo said he found nothing wrong with what the CJ did.

“We have celebrated people over the course of time. If the Chief Justice expresses an opinion based on her assessment of the President in his very wonderful career as a lawyer, I have no qualms with it. The President is no longer at the bar. If the person was actively practicing, it would have looked pre-judicial but the President is not at the bar. The chief Justice is far above that,” he explained.

Lawyer Akuffo added that “the chief justice has looked at Akufo-Addo’s career at the bar and has made a commentary on it that is a very distinguished record of which we take great pride in…I do not have a problem with the celebration of a mind.”

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