In a significant development, former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has been sworn in as a member of Ghana’s Council of State, a body tasked with advising President John Dramani Mahama on key national matters.
Sophia Akuffo, who joins 30 other distinguished individuals on the council, has commended President Mahama for his unwavering commitment to the rule of law, particularly in handling bondholders’ payments.
The former Chief Justice’s praise follows the President’s decision to honor contractual agreements with bondholders, settling the Payment-In-Cash (PIC) coupon of GH¢6.081 billion to all Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) bondholders on February 17.
Sophia Akuffo emphasized the importance of respecting legal commitments, stating that the President’s action was “in perfect order and following the law”.
Sophia Akuffo’s comments are particularly significant, given her participation in a protest at the Finance Ministry during the President Akufo-Addo administration, where bondholders were promised certain terms only to have them abruptly changed.
She described this as an attempt to impose new conditions on bondholders, which she firmly opposed.
Addressing journalists, she said
“I am there in my own right simply as a former Chief Justice; I am not even there representing the Judicial Council”.
“The Council of State is a body that is supposed to be advising the president. I am not going to sing his master’s voice so to speak. An advisor does not parrot; an advisor speaks with honesty, an advisor looks to the best interest of not only the person they are advising but of the function the person is serving,” she said.
I don’t know why people are surprised about my appointment by President John Dramani Mahama as Council of State Member, I am a former chief justice and a seat is allocated to former Chief Justices by our constitution to be part of members of council of State “, CJ Sophia A.B Akufo.
However, she will join forces with other individuals, including former Speaker of Parliament Edward Doe Adjaho, who will chair the council.
