Sophia Akuffo, former Chief Justice of Ghana, has criticized Minister of Food and Agriculture Bryan Acheampong for being involved in a situation she views as a conflict of interest concerning the sale of hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).

In an interview with TV3's Alfred Ocansey on July 25, Akuffo expressed her disapproval, emphasizing that a conflict of interest cannot be dismissed by personal opinion.

She argued that the perception of conflict, even without explicit legal constraints, can undermine public trust and integrity.

Akuffo likened the situation to a legal case where one cannot simultaneously fulfill multiple conflicting roles.” Yes of course, because conflict of interest is conflict of interest, you can’t be the judge and the jury, you can’t be the lawyer and the judge, you can’t be the litigant and after you have given your evidence and everything, your lawyer has done his submission and it is time to determine the outcome and now you are going to sit among the jury and you want to be part of that.

“Conflict of interest is not defined by the individual. Sometimes a conflict of interest, when you are managing standards, it is part of the performance standards. When you are managing ethical standards, sometimes it is simply perception. Will a reasonable man in the street, if you were to tell them of this, what will they say about it? If here, you can surmise that they will say it smells, then it smells. When you are a public person just because there is no law that says you cannot do it does not mean you should do it. Even in the Bible, it says I can do all things but not all things are good.”

Akuffo also accused SSNIT management of intentionally devaluing the hotels to facilitate their sale, a practice she believes has plagued many state entities in Ghana.

She criticized the justification provided by SSNIT for the sale, which claimed the hotels were consistently unprofitable and that selling them was necessary to address the issue.

According to Akuffo, this rationale is a cover for mismanagement and self-serving motives.

In response to the labor unions' strong opposition to the sale, Akuffo commended their efforts, and SSNIT eventually decided to halt the sale.

On July 12, SSNIT officially announced the termination of the process, reassuring the public of its commitment to managing the Trust responsibly.