Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has criticised the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), accusing it of straying from its professional neutrality and aligning itself with partisan political interests.
Delivering an address at the GBA’s Annual Conference in Wa on Monday, 15 September 2025, Dr Ayine said the Association had become selective in its public advocacy on constitutional issues, thereby undermining its credibility.
“Our allegiance must be to the Constitution and to the Republic, not to shifting political fortunes,” he told members.
“While the Bar has historically assisted the courts in interpreting and enforcing constitutional provisions, its role outside the courtroom has too often been inconsistent.”
Dr Ayine recalled that in 2015, when an Article 146 petition sought the removal of Lauretta Lamptey, then chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the GBA failed to take a public stance.
Similarly, in 2017, during the removal of Electoral Commission chair Charlotte Osei and her deputies, the Bar remained silent on due process concerns.
However, he contrasted this with the Association’s vocal reaction to the recent removal petition against former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
“In this instance, the voice of the Bar appeared to echo the position of the opposition,” he remarked.
The Attorney General warned that such selective interventions risked turning the Association into what he described as a “self-serving body”, prioritising internal or political interests above its constitutional and professional responsibilities.
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