Chief Justice finds no prima facie case in petition to remove Justice Pwamang

Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie ruled that a petition seeking to remove Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang does not present a prima facie case. The Office of the President announced the decision in a statement on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu signed the statement. It said the Chief Justice had finished his preliminary inquiry into the petition submitted by Mr Edward Adeti. According to the statement, he determined that no prima facie case had been established “to warrant further investigation, in accordance with Article 146(3) of the Constitution.” The Presidency added that the matter is now regarded as closed.

What the petition alleged

Mr Adeti, an investigative journalist, filed the petition on October 26, 2026. It centred on a June 2023 visit by a Judicial Council delegation to the palace of the Tongraan of Talensi, led by Justice Pwamang. The petition claimed a bull was presented to the delegation during the visit. It argued that accepting the animal breached the judicial code on gifts and amounted to misconduct.

What the ruling means

Because the Chief Justice found no prima facie case, the petition will not go any further. No committee will investigate it, and no other proceedings will follow.

In legal terms, a prima facie case means there is enough evidence at first sight to justify a deeper investigation, which could then confirm or disprove the claim. The Chief Justice found that this threshold was not met.

Background

Justice Pwamang is a prominent figure in the removal process for judges. In 2025, President John Mahama set up a Committee of Inquiry chaired by him after suspending then Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. That inquiry was held in camera, and the High Court ruled that it could not examine those proceedings.

Earlier this year, the Presidency also announced that the Chief Justice had found no prima facie case in ten petitions against the Electoral Commission and the Special Prosecutor. Commentators have called for clarity on what should count as a prima facie case in such petitions.