Former NPP General Secretary John Boadu has raised serious concerns about the reasoning and conduct of Ghana’s Chief Justice, describing a recent sentencing rationale as “dangerous” for the country’s justice system.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Boadu cited an example from the vetting process where the Chief Justice reportedly justified a 70-year prison sentence by claiming he feared a shorter sentence might allow the convict to return and harm him upon release.
“A CJ who can say that the convicted, instead of giving him 30 years, he felt that he was still young, and if you give him 30 years, he may come back to see him alive and may harm him… because of that, he gave him 70 years, that is very dangerous for our body politic. It is very dangerous for our justice delivery in this country,” Boadu said.
He questioned the integrity of a justice system where personal emotions and self-interest influence rulings, insisting such a mindset undermines the principles of fairness and impartiality.
“If a Chief Justice gives a ruling based on his personal feelings and benefits, how many of the cases that go to him will not be determined based on his personal benefits? This is very dangerous,” he stressed.
Boadu, who is vying for the NPP’s chairmanship position, further argued that such remarks should have prompted decisive action from both the President and Parliament.
“This is something that I would have expected the President to have withdrawn him, or Parliament to have rejected him,” he said.
