Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo Resigns from Council of State Amid Heightened Judicial Scrutiny

Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has resigned from Ghana’s Council of State, ending her tenure on the nation’s highest presidential advisory body. While the Presidency has yet to issue an official announcement, reports indicate that Akuffo submitted her resignation in late 2025 and has not attended meetings since. Her departure follows a period of significant friction within the Council, particularly surrounding the removal of former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. Akuffo was notably the only member to abstain from a critical vote to establish a prima facie case against Torkornoo, later describing the proceedings as akin to a "treason trial" and publicly defending Torkornoo’s record. This resignation marks the end of a vocal period for Akuffo, who also gained public attention in 2023 for her rare and direct support of pensioners protesting the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme.

Parallel to these high-level political shifts, the Judicial Service of Ghana has moved to address what it describes as widespread misinformation regarding the handling of a high-profile assault case. The Service clarified that Judge Robert Addo of the Nkawie Circuit Court did not, as reported in viral social media posts, order reconciliation between a teacher, Eric Apaflo Buernortey, and a female student at Nyinahin Catholic Senior High School. Judicial Secretary Musah Ahmed explained that the case was actually withdrawn by the Police Prosecutor before charges were formally read. The clarification emphasizes the judiciary's concern over media misrepresentation, which officials say can erode public trust in the justice system, especially in cases involving physical violence captured on video.

In the realm of legal accountability, several high-profile financial cases have reached critical stages in the courts. Legal experts have clarified that Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, must enter a guilty plea for a proposed plea bargain to proceed in his GH¢14.3 million fraud case involving the Ghana Export-Import Bank. Meanwhile, in the trial of former BNC Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene, a prosecution witness, Mildred Donkor, provided testimony that contradicts previous claims by the Attorney-General’s office. Donkor testified that a GH¢16 million fixed deposit certificate central to the case was associated with BNC Communications Bureau Limited rather than Adu-Boahene personally, raising new questions about the management of state funds and the specifics of the misappropriation charges.

Broader institutional reforms also face scrutiny as the Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, raised concerns over the new legal education framework under the Legal Education Act of 2026. Assafuah warned that interim directives could unintentionally reintroduce entrance examinations that stakeholders had previously sought to abolish. These developments, ranging from the resignation of a former Chief Justice to the legislative debates over bar training, reflect a period of intense transition and oversight within Ghana's legal and political landscape. The coming months are expected to provide more clarity on the replacements within the Council of State and the final resolutions of the ongoing high-profile trials.