The Judicial Service has defended Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie’s recent remarks on state-owned enterprises, saying they were made in good faith and did not compromise judicial independence.

In a statement signed by the Judicial Secretary on Friday, September 4, the Service said the Chief Justice was aware of the mixed public reaction to comments he made during an outreach engagement with state institutions.

“The observations were made in good faith, and were not intended to serve a purpose inimical to judicial independence,” the statement said.

The clarification follows remarks by Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie during visits to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) on Wednesday, September 2.

At MIIF, the Chief Justice praised the institution’s performance and questioned what Ghana had been doing over the previous eight years, based on improvements he said he had seen and heard about at some state institutions.

He also spoke about SSNIT’s earlier plans to dispose of some of its assets, including the Labadi Beach Hotel, contrasting those developments with what he described as improved management of state institutions under the current administration.

His comments have since generated public debate, with critics questioning whether the head of the Judiciary should publicly assess the performance of successive governments or comment on matters that could be perceived as political.

The Judicial Service’s clarification seeks to draw a distinction between the Chief Justice’s observations during his institutional engagements and any suggestion that the Judiciary had departed from its constitutional responsibility or compromised its independence.

The Service maintained that the remarks were not intended to undermine the independence of the Judiciary, amid the ongoing discussion over the appropriate public role of the Chief Justice.