Nana Addo Eulogises CJ Anin Yeboah3 min read

President Nana Akufo-Addo has paid a glowing tribute to the outgoing Chief Justice (CJ) Anin Yeboah, describing him as an exceptional head of the Judiciary.

According to the President, Justice Anin Yeboah during his tenure as Chief Justice, brought honour and comportment to the Judiciary and was hopeful that his successors would build on that legacy.

President Akufo-Addo eulogised the Chief Justice at a farewell dinner organised by the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) in honour of Justice Anin Yeboah, who is due to retire on May 24 this year.

The President said his tenure as CJ has been characterised by exceptional achievements, noting that “It is important for the spirit of our country that we recognise and acknowledge exceptional service to our nation, and that is what Chief Justice Kwesi Anin Yeboah has rendered to the Ghanaian nation and people.”

“The 14th Chief Justice in our nation’s independent history and the second appointed within my term of office, his has been an outstanding career that has seen him rise to its greatest heights in his later years,” President Akufo-Addo said.

He added that, “Within this time, he has been an effective leader of the Judiciary. He has guarded jealously its independence, and by his conduct and comportment, he has brought honour to the Judiciary and to our country.”

Yaw Acheampong Boafo, President of the Ghana Bar Association, in a remark said, “If there ever was a Chief Justice who the Bar can claim ‘ownership’ thereof, it is certainly Justice Anin Yeboah, since his judicial destiny is clearly interwoven in the tapestry of diligent and outstanding service to the Ghana Bar.”

He said the CJ saw his position as a service to this nation and its people and not to lord it over others or even as a means to ride roughshod over others.

“It is a lesson all of us who had the opportunity to observe him in close quarters will imbibe,” Mr. Boafo said.

“Hopefully, in subsequent years the Oxford Dictionary of Modern English will have a new addition: Anin Yeboah; as an adjective for one who is a competent, fair and firm, scholarly, diligent, humble, and hardworking judge,” Mr. Boafo added.

The GBA presented Justice Anin Yeboah with a citation which read in part: “As a Judge, you distinguished yourself. You discharged your duties with dedication, honesty and a sense of justice. You have through your various decisions contributed immensely to the strengthening of the democratic enterprise under the 1992 Constitution.”

The Chief Justice, in a brief remark, expressed appreciation to the GBA for the gesture and also thanked it for nominating him to be appointed to the Bench in 2002 after several years of private practice at the Bar.

He commended his fellow Supreme Court Justices for their cooperation during his tenure as Chief Justice and also showed appreciation to the President for nominating him as well as the support of the Executive, cumulating in the several infrastructure achievements associated with his tenure as Chief Justice.