The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has strongly condemned Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin following his recent public criticisms of a Circuit Court judge, describing his remarks as highly unprofessional and unethical.
The controversy stems from a press conference held on Sunday, May 17, where Afenyo-Markin fiercely criticised the judge handling the case of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC.
Abronye DC is currently under investigation and has been remanded in custody over alleged misinformation and offensive public statements.
Reacting to the development, GBA Spokesperson Saviour Kudze expressed deep disappointment in the Minority Leader’s conduct, noting that Afenyo-Markin’s actions fell far short of the standards expected of someone of his professional and social standing.
“It is very unpalatable, unbecoming of a senior lawyer of his standing at the Bar,” Kudze stated. “Particularly so a senior lawyer who is privileged enough to be the Minority Leader of the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, a lawyer who I am told is also a chief. Is this the kind of example he wants to give his constituents?”
During his Sunday press briefing, the Minority Leader had openly challenged the judge’s competence regarding the continued remand of Abronye DC, declaring that he would continue to disrespect the judge until he “upholds the law.” Afenyo-Markin went as far as daring the court to cite him for contempt.
The GBA Spokesperson reminded the lawmaker that if he felt the court had erred, the proper recourse was to use established legal channels rather than launching media attacks against the judiciary.
“As a lawyer, if he complains that a judge has acted in a way according to him not within the ambit of the law, this is not the way I think that he should go,” Kudze explained. “My thinking is that the appellate system is not there for fun. If the judge didn’t act within his jurisdiction, he knew what to do. He shouldn’t go to the press, not at all.”
Mr Kudze further emphasised that publicly questioning the qualifications and competence of a sitting judge is a direct violation of the legal profession’s code of conduct in Ghana.
“We are disappointed, and he has acted very unprofessionally and unethically because, per our etiquette rules, we don’t do things like this by attacking the qualifications or competence of a judge,” the GBA Spokesperson added.
The public spat has intensified ongoing national debates surrounding the legal handling and detention of the outspoken NPP regional chairman.
