By Franklin Asare-Donkoh
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has cautioned professional and legal bodies against inviting external influence into Ghana’s constitutional and judicial matters.
He argued that external interference in constitutional politics risks undermining the principle that sovereignty resides in the people of Ghana, in whose name and for whose benefit the powers of government are exercised.
Speaking at the Ghana Bar Association’s Annual Conference in Wa on Monday, 15 September 2025, Dr Ayine stressed that while international collaborations are useful for strengthening professional standards, they must not extend to attempts to shape Ghana’s constitutional processes.
“We should desist from the temptation of inviting foreign interference in our internal constitutional processes. As a professional body, there is absolutely nothing wrong with forming relationships with like-minded foreign associations. Such relationships are necessary for cross-fertilisation of ideas on professional matters such as standards. That is where it should end,” he emphasised.
His warning comes after external groups, including the Bar Council of England and Wales and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, urged President John Dramani Mahama to reconsider the suspension and subsequent dismissal of Chief Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo.
In a joint statement dated 14 August 2025, the two bodies described Ghana as a country with a strong tradition of upholding the rule of law. They called for the Chief Justice’s immediate reinstatement and demanded guarantees of due process, including full access to the disciplinary proceedings by her legal team and a clear timeframe for the ongoing investigation.
