Renowned legal scholar Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar, has cautioned that political interference in the removal process of the Chief Justice could have grave consequences for Ghana's democracy.
Commenting on the current debate surrounding the prima facie threshold under Article 146, Professor Asare stressed the need to safeguard judicial independence from political manipulation. "The stakes in judicial removal proceedings are high-for individual judges, for the integrity of the bench, and for the democratic principle that no official is above scrutiny," he wrote on Facebook.
Professor Asare noted that former President Akufo-Addo's controversial handling of a petition against the Chief Justice in January 2025 exposed dangerous flaws, particularly the tendency to inject politics into what should be a purely constitutional process. "Former President Akufo-Addo's prima facie determination short-circuited that process.
It applied the wrong standard, assumed powers reserved for the investigative committee, and failed to inspire confidence in its impartiality or fidelity to constitutional principle," he said.
