Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Communications Director Aspirant for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has said Bernard Antwi-Boasiako’s 20-year sentencing was aided by the Chief Justice.
His comments follow a statement by His Lordship Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie about advancing President Mahama’s agenda, made while touring State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in the country.
The Chief Justice made the claim on the back of a State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) report showing that most SOEs recorded significant profit gains in the last full year.
He said President Mahama’s Government had done well to ensure the efficiency of SOEs, comparing it favorably to the previous eight years and that this was why he would help advance the President’s agenda.
“The old man’s (Mahama) agenda is one that will benefit Ghana. We should do everything to ensure that he succeeds,” the Chief Justice said.
But the comments by the head of the Judiciary have led many to suggest he has picked a side in the political divide, with some alleging he is working for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government.
Speaking on Wontumi TV with host Oheneba Asiedu, Aboagye said the suspected relationship is what drove NPP Chairman Wontumi to prison, arguing he was already a target of the NDC even before the party won the 2024 election.
He suggested that the Chief Justice’s relationship with the Government is what ensured Wontumi’s swift conviction.
“We all understand that even before the NDC’s win in 2024, Wontumi was politically a target for the opposition. So if his opponents win power and, by the grace of God, get a Chief Justice they’re able to attend funerals and birthday parties with, obviously people like Chairman Wontumi will suffer the fate they are suffering,” he said.
According to Aboagye, the evidence is clear, and anyone who has observed the relationship between Chief Justice Baffoe-Bonnie and senior members of the Government would arrive at the same conclusion.
“I can say without any shred of doubt that, based on what I have seen of the relationship between the Chief Justice and senior members of the Government, it is easy for anyone to conclude that it might be because of Chairman Wontumi’s issues with NDC members that led to his 20-year conviction,” he added.
Aboagye, who served as Communications Director for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s 2024 campaign, said that even if Wontumi had engaged in galamsey, he does not believe anyone else accused of galamsey in Ghana has received a similarly severe sentence.
He urged Ghanaians to be worried, saying the Judiciary has become politically inclined and that this should “frighten” everyone.