Accra, Ghana – Chief Justice nominee, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has strongly advocated for an expansion of legal admissions in Ghana, arguing the country is significantly underproducing lawyers. Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, November 10, 2025, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie countered claims of oversaturation, insisting, “I do not share the view that we are churning out too many lawyers. We are also not overproducing.”
He provided statistics to support his claim, stating, “If you combine all the lawyers, we are not up to 15,000…currently, despite the number of people being called to the bar this year and last year, the total is not even 7,000, and of that, fewer than 5,000 are in private practice.” He attributed the perception of an oversupply to the concentration of legal professionals in Accra, which masks the real need for more lawyers to serve communities nationwide.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie suggested integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the judiciary to enhance efficiency, specifically citing its potential to improve processes such as empanelling judges for cases. He also defended the 70-year prison sentence he handed down to Ghana’s infamous armed robber, Ayi Ayeetey, popularly known as Ataa Ayi, describing it as a necessary decision in the interest of justice and public safety.
The nominee explained that while sentencing guidelines exist, judges must sometimes exercise discretion for serious crimes. He recalled his rationale for the sentence, stating, “I gave him 70 years, and what I told myself was that if Ataa Ayi was given 30 years and he came back, my family would be the first he would attack. So by the time he comes back after 70 years, I’ll be dead and gone.” Ataa Ayi was convicted in 2005 on multiple counts of armed robbery and related offences.
Ruth Abla ADJORLOLO
