Acting Chief Justice swears in wife as Notary Public

The Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, has been sworn in as a Notary Public in a ceremony administered by her husband, Acting Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie.

The development, though legal, has sparked conversations about propriety, judicial ethics, and the potential conflict of interest in Ghana’s governance system.

The swearing-in took place last week, with the Ghana Prisons Service confirming the event in a social media post that included photographs of the couple.

“Director-General of Prisons Sworn-in as a Notary Public,” the caption read, drawing both congratulatory and critical reactions online.

Legal Basis for Appointment

Under Ghana’s Notaries Public Act, 1960 (Act 26), the Chief Justice is empowered to appoint Notaries Public—lawyers deemed fit and proper for the role.

The Act stipulates that only legal practitioners of at least ten years’ standing at the Bar, with proven integrity and high moral character, are eligible for appointment.

A Notary Public is authorised to authenticate documents, administer oaths, certify transactions, and play a vital role in commercial and international dealings.

Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, a seasoned lawyer and the current head of the Ghana Prisons Service, met the eligibility criteria.

Her career spans decades in public service, with a reputation as a reform-minded administrator focused on modernising Ghana’s correctional system.

The oath, however, was administered by her husband, Acting Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, who has been serving in the position since the suspension of Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo earlier this year.

The rare spectacle of a husband officiating his wife’s swearing-in has sparked debate about ethical boundaries, separation of duties, and potential conflicts in Ghana’s justice system.

The Baffoe-Bonnies now hold two of the most influential positions in the legal and correctional institutions. Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, brother of the late Kwesi Baffoe-Bonnie, founder of Radio Gold, is among the most senior judges on the Supreme Court.

His wife, Patience, is equally prominent as the leader of the country’s prisons, tasked with implementing reforms in an overstretched correctional system.

Public Reactions and Concerns

While some observers have hailed the moment as a celebration of professional excellence within a single household, others have questioned the optics of the Chief Justice swearing in his spouse.

Critics argue that even though the appointment is lawful, the image of spousal oversight risks feeding perceptions of nepotism within state institutions.

Others have suggested that, in such situations, the oath could have been administered by another Justice of the Supreme Court to avoid public misgivings.