Accra:Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie is set to retire in the coming weeks as he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 for judges. This imminent retirement is expected to initiate the process of selecting his successor at the Supreme Court, focusing attention on the senior justices as potential candidates.
According to Ghana Web, the tradition has been to appoint the most senior Supreme Court justices who are not nearing retirement as Chief Justice when the position becomes vacant. However, exceptions have occurred where a more senior justice was bypassed for another candidate. The 1992 Constitution allows the President to nominate a Chief Justice, subject to consultation with the Council of State and parliamentary approval.
President John Dramani Mahama, who appointed Baffoe-Bonnie, might follow the tradition by selecting the most senior judge. The top contenders for the position are Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, and Justice Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu.
Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, appointed to the Supreme Court in June 2015, is the longest-serving among the three. He has a background in private legal practice, focusing on land and natural resources law, human rights, and criminal justice. Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, appointed in December 2019, has extensive experience in the judiciary, having served at various court levels, including an international assignment in The Gambia. Justice Issifu Omoro Tanko Amadu, appointed in 2020, has a career combining private legal practice and judicial service, with notable international experience in Nigeria.