Former Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has expressed surprise over the direct involvement of Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie in a recent Supreme Court ruling that dismissed an injunction seeking to halt proceedings related to the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.

Mr Dame, who represented Vincent Ekow Assifuah, the MP for Old Tafo, described the Acting Chief Justice’s role as unusual and concerning.

‎”It’s quite intriguing that the acting Chief Justice himself sat on these proceedings,” Mr Dame told JoyNews after the court’s decision. “This is incongruous in our judicial history. If anyone benefits from these developments, it is the acting Chief Justice,” he said in an interview on Joy News.

The injunction, filed by Mr Assifuah, aimed to pause proceedings over Chief Justice Torkornoo’s suspension, citing concerns about constitutional procedures and judicial independence. However, in a narrow 3–2 ruling, the Supreme Court declined the application, allowing the case to proceed.

Despite the outcome, Mr Dame said the split decision indicates that the application had legal merit. “The 3–2 narrowness of the decision itself indicates clearly that the application no doubt had merit,” he said. He added that his team awaits the court’s full explanation before deciding on further steps.

Earlier, the court had also unanimously rejected Mr Dame’s request for Justice Baffoe-Bonnie to recuse himself from the case. Dame argued that it was improper for the Acting Chief Justice to both select the panel and preside over a case that indirectly involves him, warning that it could erode public trust in the judiciary.

The five-member panel included Justices Baffoe-Bonnie, Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Yonny Kulendi, Amadu Tanko, and Ernest Gaewu.

With the injunction dismissed, the Supreme Court will now proceed to hear the substantive case concerning the legality of the Chief Justice’s suspension.