The Chief Justice, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has defended the decision to allow some cases to proceed during the legal vacation, insisting that the vacation does not mean judges are prohibited from hearing cases.

Reacting to the concerns raised by the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) over the continuation of criminal cases during the legal vacation at the 2nd Quadrennial Delegates Congress of the Judicial Service on August 11, 2026, he explained that a lawyer’s decision to make other arrangements during the period could not, on its own, determine whether a case before a court should proceed.

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"...To write to the Chief Justice to say that the cases should be adjourned because of the legal vacation and you are not ccoming… You are a lawyer; you have your clients. If your clients decide to give you leave, well, go on leave, but you cannot say that there is a legal vacation and the judge who is actually sitting cannot do your case; that is not it," he stated.

In a letter dated August 10, 2026, the GBA appealed to the Chief Justice to ensure that judges adhere to what it described as the established rules and traditions governing the legal vacation.

The Association's concerns followed complaints from three law firms - Zoe, Akyea & Co, Dame & Partners and Sam Okudzeto & Associates - after their lawyers were served notices requiring them to appear before judges authorised to continue hearing some part-heard criminal cases during the vacation.

The GBA argued that the legal vacation, which runs from August 1 to September 30, is intended to provide judges, lawyers and judicial staff with a period of respite following the demanding court calendar.

It acknowledged that designated vacation courts may sit during the period, particularly to deal with urgent and interlocutory matters, but said the established practice has traditionally been for such courts not to conduct trials.

See the video below:



'Legal vacation doesn't mean judges cannot sit' – CJ Baffoe-Bonnie explains



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