President John Dramani Mahama has dismissed a petition seeking the removal of Supreme Court Justice Yonny Kulendi following a determination by the Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, that no prima facie case was established.
The decision, communicated in a letter dated December 4, 2025, from the Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama, brings an end to a process initiated by petitioner Daniel Marfo Ofori-Atta under Article 146 of the Constitution. The petition had alleged that Justice Kulendi abused his office to interfere in the high-profile trial of Republic v. Cassiel Ato Forson & 2 others to benefit his cousin, Richard Jakpa.
In his formal assessment, Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie stated that the evidence provided by the petitioner actually undermined the factual basis of the allegations.
The Chief Justice’s findings indicated that the claims of inappropriate influence and obstruction of justice were a “clear distortion of the record” when compared to the sworn testimony of Mr. Jakpa. According to the Chief Justice, the petition failed to meet the necessary evidential threshold required by the Constitution to warrant any further investigation into the conduct of the Supreme Court judge.
The background of the case centers on allegations that Justice Kulendi sought to secure bail for Richard Jakpa, who currently serves as the Director of Operations at the National Security Secretariat. Ofori-Atta had argued that such interference constituted “stated misbehaviour,” rendering the justice unfit for the bench.
However, with the Chief Justice’s ruling that the constitutional threshold was not met, the Presidency has declared the matter concluded. Justice Kulendi, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in May 2020, will continue his tenure on the apex court.
Ruth Abla ADJORLOLO
